Hacker
by AwesomeZombieSlayerGRL
Summary: This is about a young woman living in New York in the time when Alex Mercer is roaming around. When she stumbles across some footage she managed to steal from the Gentek database, she discovers Alex and investigates him. She soon finds herself tied up in Mercer's own investigation where they learn about their origins.
1. Hacker Ch 1

Ch. 1

Gaining ground

"Damn, Kenzie!" my roommate remarked, "You were out for awhile. Surprised that one beer did ya in." "Shuddup," I mumbled and held my head in hand. I hurt like hell. "I am never doing _that _again!" I said. "Oh c'mon!" my roommate replied. She appeared to be really perky considering the amount she drank last night. "How are you happy?!" I asked her incredulously. She flipped back her bright red hair. I raised an eyebrow. Last time, I remembered it was yellow.

"You're gonna kill your hair if you keep doing that," I told her. She just shrugged and flopped onto the bean bag in the room.

We were currently on break in New York. We both managed to convince our parents to let us come here on our own. We had saved up since our freshmen year in high school, when we first met, and we were finally here!

I sagged back onto my bed and covered my face with the pillow. My head throbbed. I added "feeling sick" onto my list of symptoms. "Hey, didn't you read the one book, _Botticelli_-something?" she asked me.

"Yeah."

"If I remember correctly, that one character was drunk one time and the one way she actually able to get sober again was that she drank the same amount of water as she did beer."

"So you want me to drink a crap load of water right now?"

She nodded.

"God, I swear you are retarded sometimes," I muttered.

She just looked at me. "Whatever," she said, "Look, I'm gonna order some food. You want anything?"

"I don't care. Just get me something that won't make me sick."

"That's real specific," she replied.

"Well, that's what you get for making me drink that beer that I _didn't _want to drink."

She stuck her tongue at me and left the room to order food. As soon as she left the room, I pulled out my laptop that was under my bed and turned it on. It was at 50%. I opened up a few programs and set to work.

I'm a hacker. I don't do all that "illegal" shit stupid people get caught with, I'm smart enough to not get , it isn't illegal if I don't get caught. I had recently accessed a company's, named Gentek, network(they have shitty security) and found a file named PROJECT: BLACKLIGHT or something like it. It was referring to some freak accident that happened in 1969 at Hope, Idaho. I pulled out one of my maps and looked around for it. Couldn't find it at all. I researched some more and came across an old newspaper clipping talking about a nuclear explosion that wiped a city off the map.

I got curious, so I began to dig deeper. Here, the security was tighter. Watched by some part of the military called Blackwatch. From what I could tell, these guys were merciless. I logged that file for digging later and focused on the '69 accident. There wasn't much data on the subject at all. Didn't surprise me; somebody probably purged the system of sensitive data that could jeopardize the mission or whatever it was that they were doing. Today I was going through two week's worth of security tape at Gentek and one of the nearby subway stations.

I paused, played, replayed, forwarded, and re-winded. That's when I came across this one part. It happened maybe two days ago, if not longer. It was near a subway station. It showed a man (who looked very good looking, I might add) who looked to be in his mid-twenties, in an awesome leather jacket, with a gray hoodie, white shirt, dark blue jeans, and what looked like kick ass man-boots. He held a capped test tube in his hand and the military was surrounding him.

The video couldn't pick up any of what they were saying, but whatever was happening, they did not want him to drop that test tube. I hoped in my head that he would be smart and set it down and walk away but he didn't. He dropped the test tube and the military gunned him down. That was all I could hear: the _ratatatatat_ of gunfire. I covered my mouth, headache all but forgotten. I didn't even hear my roommate, Kate, enter the room until, "Hey, ordered you Chinese. Hope it's that one cute gu-" She stopped and I quickly slammed my laptop shut. A bit too quickly.

Kate looked at me.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Uh... yeah. There was a... bug and it freaked me out. Panicked a little," I replied.

"And you squished it on your computer?"

"Yeah."

"And here I thought you loved that thing. You nearly killed me one time when I almost spilled coffee on it last time."

I gave her a quick, somewhat innocent smile. "You're strange. You look alright now. I guess that bug scared you sober," she remarked. My smile faded a little. Kate shook her head and left the room. I waited a few seconds before opening up my laptop again, just to make sure she wasn't coming back in. "Ooookay..." I muttered to myself, "His name is- was Mercer. Uh... his body is now at the morgue... that's just down the street." I wrote down the address and placed it into my back pocket. I closed my laptop properly this time and placed it in the England crested bag I got for my birthday. This guy's story just piqued my interest. I left a note on my bed, telling Kate I'd be back in about an hour. Hopefully that's all it would take... Or so I thought.

I checked the address again to make sure I got it right. It was about 7:30 p.m. _and _it was cold. I was glad I brought a comfy sweatshirt with me. At this hour, the morgue gave me the creeps. Hell, at any hour this place freaked me out. I had to walk past it twice before I managed to gather up the nerve to enter it.

Nobody was at the front desk. I check the times. The hours said they were open Monday-Saturday, 5:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. _Freaky_, I thought. The room was half lit. I walked carefully and quietly through. And froze when I heard voices. I peeked around the corner and saw two guys dressed up in hazmat suits. _They must work here_, I guessed. That was when I glanced at the steel table they were looking at. I gasped. The two guys whipped around. I pulled myself back as quickly as I could before they saw me.

"Eh, it was probably just the wind," I heard one of them say and the set back to work. I kneeled down and watched.

"Hey, I recognize this guy. He was Blacklight," said one.

"Well, now he's ex-Blacklight. What's his name?" asked the other.

"Ah, Mercer, Alex J. Next of kin, Mercer, Dana A."

"His wife?"

"Hell, I don't know."

They seemed to be so engrossed in their work that I began to edge around the corner to get a better look. I was paying more attention to the men and their... work that I didn't see the little table stand. I smacked my knee on the corner of it and gasped. The two men spun around.

"What the hell's she doing here?!" asked the first one.

"I don't know! I thought the door was locked!" said the second, "Hey, how'd you get in here?"

"The, uh, door was open," I replied, nervously. Suddenly, the young man on the table started to move. We turned to watch. The two guys backed off immediately. "Hey! I was told that he was dead!" said one. "He was!" replied the other, "Had no heartbeat, pulse, or brain activity!"

The man held his head in one hand. It looked like he was in pain. He looked up and around and quickly fixated on me. I pushed past the two hazmat guys and grabbed his arm and began pulling him away from the morgue staff.

"Do-do you know what's happening?" he asked me.

"Hah, I know just as much as you do," I replied. Then, I heard, "I'm calling security!" "Crap," I muttered, "Have to get you out of here." I pulled towards the exit. "Okay... uh... uh...," I said aloud, looking around as soon as we got outside. There were a couple of cars nearby. I pulled Mercer towards it and we both hid. Suddenly, a door opened and the two hazmat guys stepped out into a group of soldiers. None of them looked too happy. There were shouts of "Freeze!" and "If you move, I will fucking shoot you." The two hazmats didn't seem inclined to listen to the men with guns.

Then, I remembered that these were the men who gunned down Mercer. I started taking a couple steps backward and into another military vehicle. Mercer looked back at me, then we both jumped at the sound of twin gunshots. Both of the hazmats were dead. "Go, get out of here!" Mercer whispered urgently to me. I looked at him.

"What? No!" I hissed.

"Just do it," he replied.

"Fine," I grumbled and carefully crouched behind the few cars that littered the small parking lot until I reached the military vehicles on the other side. Before I rounded the corner, I looked back and saw Mercer nod his thanks when the soldiers surrounded him.

I didn't leave just yet. I knew it was stupid to watch, but I stayed. I couldn't hear anything but then I didn't have to. They began to corner him by a wall. "Wh-whoa wait, wait, wait," Mercer said with his hands up.

Suddenly, they let loose gunfire. I clasped a hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. Suddenly, Mercer started, what looked like, convulsing. Red, black, and gray tendrils swirled around him. The soldiers back off slightly and I could Mercer saying, "What's happening to me?!" when the troops let loose another crap load of bullets. They hit him but all Mercer did was absorb the impact. I stood there, horrified and amazed.

He stood there, just as amazed as I was and then he took off, bullets chasing him. A few of the soldiers chased after him, but it was futile. They stopped, only slightly defeated. Then, two of the soldiers came over by my hiding spot.

"Before he took off, he was looking at somethin' over," I heard one of the soldiers say.

"Yeah, let's check it. Might be an accomplice," another replied. _Ah fuck!_ I thought. The soldiers began to approach my hiding spot. I took off before they could reach me. They rounded the corner but I was already down the alley. "Hey! After her!" one yelled. I ran and ran and ran.

I was _not_ about to let them capture me.

I took off across the street, not bothering to use the crosswalk. A taxi skidded to a stop and I rolled across the hood. I landed and continued running. "Dumb bitch! What the hell are you doing!" I heard the taxi driver yell. _It was always the taxis. Damned taxis!_

I got home about fifteen minutes late. I scurried up the steps to my apartment and quickly opened the door-

To see Kate eating with the cute guy from the pizza store two blocks down. All Kate had to do was look at my face to know something was wrong. She didn't even need to tell the guy to leave. He nodded, thanked her for having him over, and left.

As soon as the door closed, she asked, "Okay, Ken, why are you all sweaty and what's with the freaked out look you're giving me?" I glared at her.

_"Could you say that any louder?! He could be one of them!"_ I hissed and pointed at the door where Pizza Guy left.

"Who? Eric? One of whom? Ken, what are you talking about?"

I said nothing and walked quickly into my room. Kate knew enough to follow. When I was in the bedroom, I closed the door, and covered all the windows. I took another quick look around the room, looking anything that could be possibly bugged. When I was absolutely sure, I set my laptop on my bed and turned it on. "Okay," I started as the videos, information, and programs started uploading, "I'm not entirely sure but have you ever heard of Hope, Idaho?"

"No."

"That's because it was wiped off the planet in 1969." I grabbed the map I used earlier and laid it out on the bed next to the laptop. "See? _It's not there!_" I said.

Kate looked at the map and squinted. She checked the date of the map. "It was the most updated version I could find," I told her. Then, I began the long process of showing everything that I knew. Well, almost everything. I told her that that Mercer guy was alive but I didn't tell her that's who I went to find when I went out.

"This isn't good," Kate muttered.


	2. Hacker Ch 2

Ch. 2

Crazed gunmen, dead-alive people, and military units you don't want to screw with. Lovely...

"My grandpa was there. I pestered him about all the stuff he did in the Military whenever we went to go see him and Gram. He must've figured that since I was really young, I either: A. wouldn't understand it at the time or B. wouldn't remember it. Hah, he was so wrong," Kate laughed a little, "I was smart enough to record all he was saying and I only recently replayed them. He was talking about all this bad shit that was going on in Hope and in other places as well. Infetious diseases, zombies, death, nukes... It was horrible," she shook her head.

Apparently, people up in the government and science wing had tested this disease on rats and my guess is that they wanted to test it on humans. And you remember how polio was big back then? Well, they passed this off as a vaccine. They spread this stuff all over the place in Hope. And everyone took it. No questions asked. So, get this, the virus didn't immediately rise until a few days later. Brass dropped their guard, figured it probably didn't affect us afterall. God, they were _beyond _wrong. So, the virus rose up and everybody who was infected died. There were a few military casualties. So, the president gave the call and they nuked the place. That information was locked up forever, until now. That's all my grandpa told me. When... he was dying. Even his wife didn't know about this stuff."

I looked at her. I had heard a little bit about what happened with the Hope incident, but damn...

It continued like this for a two more nights. We stayed up late.

On the second night, the morgue incident almost gone from my mind, Kate and I were going through old data: files that I managed to hack from Gentek's databases. Kate slumped down on her desk and looked behind me. "We should probably head to bed," she said. I glanced at the clock: it was already pass one. "Go ahead, I'm staying up," I told her and continued plugging away at my computer. I found my iPhone and plugged in my earphones. I had the volume turned up so all I could hear was the music. Kate was asleep in the living room. That's why I never heard our door open and close. Nor did I see someone approach me, not until something tapped the side of my head.

I looked up, music still blaring in my ears. It was Eric the Pizza Guy. He mimed pulling out the earphones. I glared at him and pulled both out. "Yeah?" I asked. "Get up," he told me quietly. I gave him look. He bumped me again. That's when I saw him holding a gun to my head. I froze. My blood seemed to turn to ice.

"Now will you get up?" he asked again. I complied. I desparately tried to keep myself from shaking.

If I moved over to the end of my bed, I could find my aluminum baseball bat. "What do you want?" I asked and began to gently ease myself over to the end of my bed.

"I need to know what you know," was all he said. I looked at him._ Crap! So I was right! He was one of _them _and _he _must've bugged my room. Wait, if he's asking to know all I know, he wouldn't have to ask. He must've jumped at the first sign, whatever that was, and came over here and waited until Kate was asleep and I was preoccupied, _I thought.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said as calmly as I could.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about. PROJECT: BLACKLIGHT. Mercer. Hope, Idaho. Ring any bells?"

"Nope, not really," I replied.

He flicked off the safety and pressed the gun closer to my head. I clenched my hands to keep them from shaking.

"Oh, really?" The muzzle dug into the side of my head. "Maybe this'll jog your memory," he growled.

"Hey," I said, "If you kill me now, whoever set this mission up for you will be pissed because he might have questions that I _may _just have an answer to."

Eric looked at me. "I _am _asking you the questions my superiors want answers to and since you obviously don't know anything, I may as well kill you now," he whispered maliciously.

My heart slammed against my chest as the muzzle of the gun rested against my forehead.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," came a voice behind us. Both Eric and I turned around. In my doorway stood a hooded man. He was looking down with his fists clenched. I looked at Eric for a moment. His eyes had grown wide with what looked like fear. He swiveled the gun in the newcomer's direction. My iPhone was still playing and the first notes of Monsters by Matchbook Romance started to play.

"Drop the gun," the man muttered. Eric did not respond. The man finally looked at us. First at me then at stayed on Eric. His eyes seemed to glow within the dark of his hood. It was eerie but kind of cool. What was weird was that I was tempted to draw him at that precise moment.

"Do you value your life?" Hoodie asked Eric in a husky voice. Eric's response was to fire. The gunshots rebounded off my walls. I dove for the floor with my hands over my ears. Dimly, I could hear Kate screaming in the other room. Then, I heard Eric yelling with a psychotic grin plastered on his face. "Don't you get it, Mercer?!" he was yelling, "This girl will be the bane of your existence. You may be the dark one, but she's the light! Your life will become a complete hell with her around!"

Then, quick as a flash, Mercer, Hoodie, whoever he was called, grabbed Eric's throat. Eric clawed at Mercer's hand and his facing was turning red and slowly to blue. I sat frozen where I was as Mercer chucked Eric out my window. Glass shattered and I dove under my bed for the bat. I picked it up and came at the man in a batter's position.

I swung repeatedly.

My blows appeared to have no damage to him and I barely even made him stumble. I didn't care. My mind and body felt like they were on autopilot.

In the back of my mind, I knew this was extremely stupid, but I didn't care. This guy... He had just chucked a man out the window despite the fact that he was going to kill me. People do stupid things with anger or fear clouding their mind. And right now I was utterly pissed off.

At nothing.

After about two minutes, I heard Mercer ask, "Are you done?" He said it so calmly as if what was happening to him was barely affecting him. That pissed me off even further. I swung harder and managed to make him budge a little. I smirked and brought the bat back to swing at him again. Just before the bat made contact with his body again, his hand flew out and caught the bat.

I stopped for a moment when I saw his hand on the bat. I set my face, angry that he managed to catch it and started tugging on the bat. Mercer didn't let go. "God dammit! Let go!" I yelled. Suddenly, the bat was yanked out of my hands and I stumbled back into my bed. My arms and wrists hurt from the bat. I didn't even realize I had tears running down my face until Mercer was down on a knee near my face. I jumped at his presence. He raised a hand. I resisted the temptation to move away from him.

_If he wanted to kill me, he would've already done it,_ I thought. And I just wanted to see what he was going to do.

He ever so gently rubbed his thumb under one of my eyes. He wiped off the tears that were coming down and moved to wipe my other eye. My face burned. I was shaking. Then, I just fell into him and wrapped my arms around him. I think I caught him off guard, for his whole body stiffened. I buried my face into his chest and the traitorous tears came again. That's when I felt his arms encircle me, his movements slow and easy as if he might scare me off. I hugged him tighter.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I felt kind of stupid doing this but I really didn't care. I just didn't want to move. Suddenly, we heard the door to my apartment slam shut causing us both to jump. I pulled away from Mercer and hugged myself. It was quiet for a few moments when Mercer said, "Your roommate is probably getting the cops."

"Why are you here?" I asked, anger tinged my voice. I looked at him.

Mercer met my gaze for a second and then looked away. "I had to find you," he struggled to find the words, "I don't know. I-I can't explain it," Here he got up quickly and paced the length of my room. "Something is happening to me," he continued, "I'm-my body's changing. It's like my DNA has been restructured. I can't remember any of the people who did this to me." He stopped.

"I had gotten wind that you are the best hacker in all of New York." He looked at me. I raised my eyebrows.

"And where, if I may ask, did you come across that information?"

"You remember that one incident when Gentek was hacked a couple years ago? Database security collasped an hour after it was installed. Their security had been the strongest in all of Manhattan, yet someone found a backdoor into their facility. A... friend of mine was able to trace what was left of the computer virus back to an apartment in this area. It was you and your roommate wasn't it?"

I set my face to neutral. "You never answered my question," I murmured.

"You haven't answered any of mine," Mercer replied. I glared at him. We weren't getting anywhere. "So what? You want me to hack Gentek again?" I asked him. Mercer nodded.

"There's... someone I need to see," he replied. I looked at him but I wasn't going to get an answer out of him. At least not tonight.

"You need to get your roommate out New York by the end of tomorrow, too," he said, "Meet me in Midtown West district."

"Why?"

"I'm going to need your expertise," he replied.

With that, he walked over to my broken window and set his foot on the sill. "Thank you," he said to me. I looked up at him.

"For what?" I asked.

"For helping me back... at..." He didn't to continue. I nodded and he leapt out my window and took off down the street. I smiled.

_Wait... Now what am I going to tell the cops?_

It was six in the morning when Kate and I got our apartment back in order.

This was the story we told the police:

Kate was asleep on the couch. I was in my room working on a project that was "due" at the end of break for school. I had my earphones in so I didn't hear Eric enter the premises. After he entered, I heard a dull thump and looked up. Eric was standing in my doorway and I told them that I thought he might've forgotten something when he came over earlier. That's when he pulled out his gun. I freaked out and threw my pillow at him. That's when he fired his gun because he panicked. The police told us that our neighbors heard another male voice inside our apartment. _Surprised_ _people could hear anything over the noise. Then again, it lulled down and it was only me... and him talking, _I thought.I told them that one our "neighbors" heard the gunshots and ran into our apartment. Our neighbor saw Eric wild and flinging his gun around. Our neighbor tackled him to the ground. The gun was knocked aside and they were both fighting. Kate screamed and took off to get the cops. At this part, Kate shot me a discreet sideways glance.

I knew she was thinking about me and our "neighbor" hugging. I gave her a look, telling her that I would talk about it earlier... Maybe...

Anyway, the cops looked at us skeptically. "She took off and left you alone with a crazed gunman?" asked one of the cops. "I wasn't alone," I told them, "Our neighbor was in there helping me."

"And what exactly was your neighbor's name?" she asked. My mind nearly blanked.

"Tom," I said. I was glad that I looked at the mail boxes a couple days ago and that the real Tom was actually a friend of Kate's so he would back us up. Now if the cops needed to confirm anything, there would be an actual Tom they could talk to.

"We also found a bent baseball bat in your room," said the same cop.

"It was the only thing we really had, other than the golf club which was behind the front door which I couldn't reach, obviously, to prevent something like this from happening," I said.

"But it was bent."

"Eric got loose from... Tom's hold. He picked up the gun and was about to fire when I brought up the bat and hit him."

The cops looked at me, as if trying to picture a 5'4 girl beating up an over six foot man.

I returned their look. "The guy had a gun previously pressed to my forehead and now he had it pointed at my friend. So, yeah, I was pissed and swung the bat at the guy pretty hard. He went down. Tom and I backed up for a few seconds because we weren't sure what Eric was going to do. Then, out of nowhere he gets up, smashes my window and... jumps."

The police nodded in a uniform manner. One was writing down everything we said.

"And your friend left after that?" one asked.

"Well, yeah. He made sure that nobody else was going to do a follow up in case Eric's 'mission' failed. And he left about ten minutes later."

They nodded again and turned to Kate.

"Now, you're the one who knew this Eric, right?" they asked.

Kate nodded.

"And two days prior to this, he wasn't acting strange or different than his normal behavior?"

Kate thought for a moment, as if replaying the memories when she met him at work.

"I... don't think so. Wait... he kept mentioning this faction in the military that he wanted to join. They were called Blackwatch? Apparently, they're lethal and basically merciless. I told Eric that he didn't belong in some group like that. I couldn't picture him doing that. All he did was just chuckle. He looked at me and said, 'You really don't know me well, do you?' I looked at him because I thought he was screwing around with me. I dismissed it and he continued talking about meeting up with someone named... Alex. Alex Mercer. That they had to 'talk' about something." Kate shrugged.

The cops looked at her. "Alex Mercer is dead," said one of the cops with a serious face. Kate and I looked at each other.

"Well, apparently Eric didn't know that," I said, "Guess he doesn't read newspapers or something."

"Why would Mercer's death be posted in the paper?" asked one of the cops.

"Well, didn't he work at Gentek or some place like it? I figured that the staff would hold something and that would be news worthy," the other cop said and shrugged.

The cops exchanged glances and began to move towards their cars.

"We're done here," said the leader, "If you ladies have any questions or anything else to add just call us." And he handed over a business card. I took it.

"Oh, and by the way, did either of you see somebody run off with Eric's body?" the cop asked us.

Kate and I looked up. "What?" we asked.

"The body? There's a giant blood stain under your window but there's no body? Did somebody take it?" My eyes widened. _Did... did _he_ take it?_ I thought. We shook our heads "no".

"Ah, alright. Have a good night." With that, the cops disappeared into the city.

Which takes us back to it being six in the morning, me and Kate watching crap shows, sitting on the couch, eating crap cereal. I had Cheerios. She had Cap'n Crunch .The volume on the t.v. was turned down low. It was just enough to where we where could hear it. Neither of us wanted to start a conversation.

I kept replaying the events from last night in my head._ I have to get her out of here soon_, I thought.

"Hey, Kenz?" came Kate's voice. I looked over at her.

"Yeah?"  
`She shifted in my direction and lowered the volume. "Look... I think we need to talk about what happened earlier this morning."

She paused.

"Who... was that man?" she asked. I looked at her.

"The guy who basically beat the crap out of Eric?" she prompted.  
I looked down and I was suddenly interested in the patterns on the couch.

"Kenz, you know me. You know you can tell me anything."

"I just wonder if it would be worth taking the risk," I muttered. Kate gave me a weird look and raised an eyebrow.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Remember that guy the cops and Eric were talking about?"

Kate nodded. "Well," I continued, "that was him."

Kate just looked at me. "Say wha-?"

"You heard me... And remember that night I went out?" I lowered my voice, "Well... I had done some snooping, Got into some of Gentek's databases again and a few security cameras at the nearby subway. I found two week's worth of footage, as well as our amazing hero. Apparently, he did use to work for Gentek. I don't know what happened but in the footage, it showed him holding a test tube of what looked like blood. Military personnel were surrounding him by the second. Then... he dropped the vial and the military unleashed hell on him. He fell down into both his own blood as well as the vial's. I did some research and it said that he had unleashed some sort of virus that was similar, if not, an exact match to the Idaho incident."

"And-and that was him this morning?" Kate asked.

I nodded.

Kate shifted again and hugged herself. A silence passed between us for a few minutes. All we could hear was the t.v. playing.

"Look... Kenz... I have been toying with this... idea and I think it's about time I head back home," she murmured.

I looked at her. "What?" She had caught me off guard with that one.

"I'm leaving. I can't take New York any more. I'm going at ten."

"Wait, you're driving?" We had both lived in Georgia, that's where we first met in college.

"Yeah, it's going to take awhile. I'm sorry, Kenz," Kate said.

I shook my head. "No, it's alright," I said, "I'll stay here and do a little more research."

"Wait, you're staying here? After what happened?"

"Yeah, I'm going to get to the bottom of this."

Kate sighed and we went back to the crappy shows and breakfast.

Kate left only an hour ago and the apartment felt bigger than it normally did. I felt tired and decided to head to bed before I went out to Midtown. I dreamed.

It was the night Kate and I gone to that party a couple nights ago. The one where I had gotten a terrible hangover from just one beer and knocked out. I was dancing with some random guy Kate had put me in front of. He was kind of cute. It was a masquerade so everyone was incognito. I could only see his eyes which reflected the light every so often. I had a beer in my hand and took a swig of it. Right here I expected myself to pass out and wake up in bed at our apartment because that was what I remebered. Instead, I felt loopy and stupid. I grinned in the face of the guy who I was dancing with. He smiled back. It wasn't a nice smile. _You have to get out of here and away from this guy!_ some reasonable part of my brain said. I pushed the voice down but every once and awhile it would pop up and would take a lot longer to suppress.

_ Cut it out! _I told it, _I'm trying to party here!_

_ No, you idiot!_ the voice replied, _ This guy's bad news!_

I ignored it and soon me and my dancing partner were in a closet, the music muffled from behind the door. I sat down and took off my mask. My face was sweaty. I wiped the sweat off with one hand and looked up. My partner was standing over me. My heart pounded._ I-I need to get out! Now!_ I thought and tried for the door. He stepped into my path. "You went with me willingly. I had already told you what was planned and you gave me your consent. In writing," he purred, "It's already too late."

His arms flew out and pinned my wrists against the wall. Adrenaline coursed through me. I thrashed out with my legs and hit the prize. My captor wilted for a moment and I shook out of his grip. I tried for the door again but stumbled over my own feet in my drunken stupor. I fell to the ground and felt a hand clasp over one of my ankles. I screamed and kicked out. He caught my other leg and pulled me down so I was underneath him. He smacked me.

"That wasn't a very smart move," he growled. His mask was cockeyed. That's when I caught a glimpse of his face. I didn't know it at the time but it was Eric. If that was even his name.

Then, he pinned me to the ground and pulled out a syringe. My eyes widened in fear as he pulled back the little lever thing on it.

"Nighty-night," he murmured and slammed the needle into my arm. Pain shot through me. I screamed in pain and kicked him off. I ran for the door, holding my arm. My movements felt sluggish as I pushed through the crowd of swaying bodies. I headed to the kitchen and threw up in the sink. I felt a hand on me. I turned around. It was him. I threw him off and ran.

I didn't even make it to the front door. Eric caught me before my hands could grasp the handle. A few people were looking at us. Even Kate. I looked at her, pleading with my eyes. But hers were clouded from all the beers she drank. She just smiled, laughed, and waved us off. "She's just had a little too much to drink," I heard my captor say, "I'm taking her home." The party goers nodded and didn't spare us a backward glance.

He led me out the door just as a black SUV pulled up into the driveway. My eyelids drooped and he had to drag me alongside him. One of the doors opened and a man in a military uniform stepped out as well as another in a black business suit. He had black, slightly graying hair, and glasses. He stepped aside as my captor handed me over to the military guy. He gave me one look and it was one of pity. "Please... help... me," I whispered. The man set his face grim and whispered back, "I wish I could, kid, but I can't. I want to be able to join my family."

"Is she out yet?" asked Suit Guy. Military Guy shook his head and the other came over to him. He pulled out another syringe similar to the previous one. "She's a fighter. Good, good. I'll have to up the dosage then," Suit Guy said and pulled out a little bottle filled with clear liquid. He stuck the needle into the plastic covering and filled it up nearly to the top. He pulled out the needle and flicked the tip. A little of the liquid spurted out.

I stiffened. "No... No!" I said, my voice rising an octave. I squirmed in the military guy's hands.

"Do you have her?" Suit Guy asked him. The other nodded. Suit came over to me and whispered in my ear, "We're glad to have you onboard." With that, the needle was injected into my arm again. My arms and eyes felt heavy. My eyesight went blurry. A knot formed in my stomach and started to twist my insides. "No..." I whispered and everything went black.


	3. Hacker Ch 3

Ch. 3

The new and improved Kenzie four point oh

I woke up awhile later. It must've still be the same night. I looked around. I was in some kind of cavernous room. The walls were gray. I glanced up and saw an observation room about two stories high. I tried to move but then saw that I was strapped to a stretcher. There were belts on my arms, wrists, neck, legs, and ankles. I was wearing the same outfit I wore at the party. My shirt and pants were ripped. I missing my shoes.

I struggled against the restraints. I tried to get out. Then, a voice came over an intercom, "Stop struggling. There's no use. Even if you do ecape, this place will go into lock down within a matter of seconds." I looked in the direction of the voice.

"I think I can outrun your little security protocol," I said with my best smartassed smile.

"How do you think you'll accomplish that when you're tied up?" he asked.

I strained against the belts and felt them give a little. "I have my ways, asshole," I replied. It was silent for a few moments. Then, a faint voice came on. _I think they forgot that the intercom was still on_, I thought and strained my ears to hear their conversation.

"Sir," came voice number two, "We've just gotten word that Zeus is in the morgue."

"He's dead?" asked Intercom.

"Yessir," said number one

"You're certain?"

"He's dead as dead can be."

"Good. Has she been injected with the Light yet?"

I froze. Now they were talking about me? I refocused on the conversation.

"Yes sir," said number one.

"Very well. And it's taking affect? Has it found a suitable host?" asked Intercom.

"Yessir."

"Well, then. Let's give her a little test."

"A test, sir? Th-the virus still needs some time to get used to its host. We only got one chance with her and it. This was our only piece of the Light virus that we were given. One mistake and this whole operation will be for nothing!"

There was a long pause and I'm guessing speaker number two was getting a death glare.

Then, a voice came on. I finally recognized it. It was Suit.

"You're lucky I even allowed you to speak that long," he growled, "Stop sprouting results and facts at me. Begin the sequence now!"

Suddenly, there was a hiss of steam. My pupils dilated. Eyes darted around. That was when I knew I was different. I had only one thought in my head: Escape.

I could suddenly hear everything. I pulled on the belts that were restraining me. I got one of them loose. I pulled on it some more and it came off. I started with the one on my other arm. Then, my neck.

"Dammit! She's getting loose! Did you start the sequence?" asked Suit.

"N-no sir. It wasn't me. Somebody's hacked into our system and is shutting the security protocols down. Whoever it is is keeping me out of the network," came speaker number two's voice.

"Well, find a way around their blockade and get us back into the network!" shouted Suit.

I had just gotten both my legs loose when I saw a huge blast door open just enough to where I could squeeze through.

"GODDAMMIT! YOU IDIOT! HURRY UP!" Suit yelled.

I squeezed through the door and ran down the hallway. Little emergency lights came on on one side of the hallway, blinking fast. That got my attention. I stopped for a moment and looked around. There were other emergency lights on but they were chaotic. Not blinking in a pattern like the others were. I bit my lip. I wasn't sure what to do. Suddenly, a door slammed open. I looked behind me. There were soldiers in black and gray armor and what looked like gas masks. They _all_ had guns. "There she is!" called one. "Get her now before she takes off!" said another.

Then, "Don't kill her." It was Suit. "Just weaken her enough to where we can subdue her and finish the testing. She's still unsure about her powers."

"Powers, eh?" I muttered to myself._ Hmmmm?_ "How about this for uncertainty, bitches!" I yelled and flung my arms forward, palms out as if to say, "Stop". Nothing happened. The soldiers jumped for a moment expecting something to happen and when it didn't, they began line up. "Oh, c'mon!" I whispered urgently and shook my hands. The soldiers tightened their grip on their guns. Suddenly, a red and black goo substance shot out of my hands and into the soldiers. It hit them full force.

It stopped and all the soldiers were down, groaning in pain. Suit looked astonished when he turned back to me. I flipped him the bird and took off down the path that I hoped would lead outside.

After ten minutes of following the blinking lights, I started to feel fatigued. I stopped for a moment and leaned against a nearby wall, breathing hard. I felt weak. Then out of nowhere, another door opened and a man stepped out. He was tall and very, very intimidating. He was in a similar armor like the other soldiers that I faced down but he didn't have a mask on. His hair was black with streaks of gray and a scar on one side of his face. I stepped away from the wall as he turned to face. _Oh shit, oh shit, ohshitohshitohshit!_ I thought. I stepped back as he stepped forward. He smiled in a "Gotcha-now-nowhere-to-run" manner.

As I was backing up, I glanced up to the left hand corner and saw an opening that I could make if I got enough speed. I turned and started to pretend to frantically look around for an exit. "There's no use in running," he called out. I turned around to face him.

"I wasn't running away," I murmured.

I got into a running stance and leapt off on my left foot. I sprinted forward. The man was coming into my view fast. He made to grab me. I jumped and pushed off on the wall near me with my right foot and vaulted over him. I landed and rolled. I got up and took off as fast as I could. He took off after me, but I left him in the dust. I felt so fluid.

I didn't even feel tired when I began to run this fast. It felt good.

I kept following the lights till they led me outside. A black SUV sat right outside. I approached it warily. I reached the driver's side. The window rolled down and revealed-

The marine who I met earlier that night.

"Get in," he said calmly. I looked at him.

"Are you kidding me? If you help me... Aren't you worried about your family?" I asked.

He gave me a sad smile. "My family's dead because of that a-hole in there who did this to you," he said, "Now, are you getting in because in a minute Blackwatch is gonna be over this place and I don't really _want_ to be here when they are. But if you want to, that's fine by me."

"Uh, let me think about that- No," I ran to the other side of the car and opened the door. My driver floored it and we sped out of there.

We drove for about an hour. I checked the time. It was only one in the morning. About three hours ago I was at a party, dancing without a care in the world. It seemed like it was years ago.

The marine prodded my arm. I turned to face him. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Hungry, but other than that, I'm peachy-keen," I said with a sugar-coated smile.

"Mmm-hmm," he replied.

My smile faded quickly. That's when we pulled into a burger joint. I raised an eyebrow at him. The marine smiled.

"What?" he asked, "You said you were hungry."

"I didn't say, 'Oh, go buy me some food,'" I replied.

"Well, you've probably haven't had much since that party, other than a few beers."

I ignored him.

"What do you want?" he asked when we entered the restaurant. I looked at him. I couldn't really say anything regarding what had happened.

I gave him a glare and muttered, "Number three with water."

"Nice kitty," he whispered. I made a move as if to hit him. He just laughed. "Go and grab us a seat in the back. I'll get the food," he said and he handed me my cup.

I complied and filled my cup up with water. I found a seat way in the back and slumped down in my booth. _What the _FUCK_ is going on?!_ I thought.

He walked up with our food on two trays. He set mine down in front of me and took a seat. _Man, this is one fucked up dream_, I thought.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked him in a lowered voice.

He took a moment to swallow his food before responding. "Let's just say I'm getting tired of the way they're running the place," he said.

"Ah," I replied and nodded. I set my gaze on the burger. I was hungrier than I thought. I finished it and ate nearly all my fries. The marine moved his tray over to me and I nodded thanks. I finished about half of his fries before we left.

We walked out to car and as we got in, I said, "Thanks for the food. I didn't realize how hungry I was until the food was in front of me." He laughed and started the engine. "You're very welcome," he replied and pulled out of the driveway. I fell asleep in the car.

I woke up in our apartment with an immense hangover and no memory of the night before. I turned around to see Kate looking at me. "Get up," she said. Her voice was distorted, deeper. "Get up," she said louder. Her face started to twist and contort. It changed into something freaky. It was pale pink and had a circular mouth. Pink goo started to glow just beneath the surface of her skin. Her mouth opened up to reveal rows of jagged teeth. She roared right in my face. I screamed.

My eyes flew open with my heart slamming against my ribs.

"Finally," came a voice. I spun around to see Mercer sitting in my computer chair.

Okay, what the _fuck_ man!?" I yelled.

"You were taking too long," he said simply. I face palmed and groaned.

That does NOT give you the goddamned right to watch me sleep!" I said to him.

"Says who?" he asked and he rocked back and forth in my chair. I glared at him.

"You are an _arrogant _son of a bitch, you know that?" I said.

"I've been called worse," he replied with the same laid back manner. That irked me. Which caused me to start cursing in French. My... ah.. uncle didn't have that clean of a mouth and whenever he swore, he did it in French.

"_Vous damnes fils de pute! Pourquoi n'allez-vous pas te faire foutre, au lieu d'avoir un concours de pisser? Vous etes un trou du cul bite putain!_" I yelled and threw my arms up in exasperation, "_Vas te faire encule_, Mercer! _Vas te faire encule_!"

Mercer watched me as I paced around the room, throwing curses at him left and right. "I take it you're not giving me compliments?" he asked.

I spun around to face him. "_Que'est-ce que vous pensev_?" I growled.

He furrowed his eyebrows. I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose. "What the hell do you think?" I asked him.

He shrugged. I turned away from him and groaned in frustration. I began to search around for my travelling bag. I found it and double checked to make sure I had everything. I checked my laptop's charge, grabbed the England and placed the laptop in it, along with the charger. I grabbed my phone and put it in my pocket. I grabbed the keys to the apartment and turned to see Mercer who was leaning against my doorframe. "Well, are we going or not?" I asked.

"Just waiting for you to get ready," he replied and detached himself from the frame. "Mercer," I said, my voice straining to stay level, "Do NOT test my patience right now." He smiled slightly. Suddenly, his form started to twist and change. I averted my eyes, remembering my freakish dream. When I turned around, there stood a young woman in her mid-twenties. I was taken aback. When she spoke, Mercer's voice came out. "Blackwatch is looking for me right now, don't want to be caught," he said. _What the FUCK?!_ I thought. The woman's face smiled.

"Well, aren't you going to open the door?" she-he asked. The voice that came out now was a normal female voice. "Mercer, quit freaking me out," I muttered and fumbled with my keys as I closed the door. "What's this?" he asked and I felt a tiny tug on my belt loop.

He was holding my fox tail I had gotten at an expo a couple months back. "A tail," I replied and swiped it out of his hand.

"Uh huh."

We walked out down through the lobby and outside. There were more military personnel out than usual. A few were clad in the normal khaki uniforms, yet a select few were dressed in black and white or gray and black uniforms with gas masks on their faces. I recognized them from my dream-memory: Blackwatch.

Mercer kept me close. When we reached a nearby alleyway, Alex stopped abruptly. I bumped into him, not realizing he had stopped. I moved in front of him.

"Little warning next time, please?" I asked.

Then, I noticed that Mercer had gone stock still. He was staring straight ahead. I followed his gaze; there in front of us was a Blackwatch soldier with his back to us. Alex took a hold of my elbow and we fast-walked down another alleyway. I saw his body contort and he changed back into his original form. "That is still freaky," I muttered.

Alex gave me a look and I shrugged. We stopped after a few minutes. Here, the alleyway was littered with bits and pieces of trash, along with empty beer bottles. Different graffiti signs covered the gray walls. "Now what?" I asked. "Get on my back," Mercer said. I looked at him.

"And what? We'll go jumping around and next thing I know, a little rainbow is sprouting out of your ass?"

"You have an extremely weird sense of humor."

"What can I tell you? I _am _the very model ofweird," I replied proudly.

Mercer smirked and turned around. He kneeled down a little in front of me. "We're still going with this?" I asked. "It's faster to travel my way," he replied. "You are such a smug a-hole, you know that?" I asked him as I reluctantly climbed onto his back. I bit my lip as I felt his hands take a hold of my legs. My face reddened.

"Yeah," he replied, "I think you told me back at your apartment."

"Oh," I said, "Right."

Once Alex had me situated, he kneeled down a little further before shooting off like a bottle rocket. It was all I could do to keep from screaming. I basically had a death grip on Alex. "Damn you, damn you, damnyoudamnyou!" I muttered over and over again. Alex laughed a little as we jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

Within minutes, we were in Midtown West. We stopped on a rooftop and Alex let me slide off his back. I staggered a little and leaned against the wall to support myself. "Heh, you alright there?" Alex asked. I gave him a look but continued to try and catch my breath. "It gets easier, I promise," he said. "Just please, a little warning next time," I replied, "Would it kill you?"

He thought about that for a moment and said, "I don't think so." I rolled my eyes and he opened the door. "Ass," I muttered as I stepped into the cool interior of a loft. "God, I was beginning to wonder when you were getting back- Okay, who the hell is this?" came a female voice. In front of me stood a woman who was probably about a year or two younger than Alex. She had short light brown hair and the same blue eyes as Alex. She had her hands on her hips, eyes demanding an explanation.

"This," said Alex, "is McKenzie. She's here to help us find out Gentek and McMullen are up to." The woman looked at me. I gave her a tentative smile. "Wait, Gentek?" she asked, "I thought you already had some of the information you needed with your access."

"Mckenzie can get us behind certain locked doors. Things Gentek doesn't want most of their employees to know, even with high level access," Alex explained, "She's also the one who hacked Gentek a couple years back when they upgraded their security. About an hour after they got it installed."

"Hey," I said, "It was still new. Trying to readjust itself in that foreign system. All I had to do was ask."

"Ah," the woman said and nodded. "I'm Dana," she told me. "Ah, nice to meet you," I replied, "Just call me Kenzie. Please," I added.

"Careful," Alex said. We both looked at him. "She'll bite your head off in French." I glared at him.

"Is he always like this?" I asked Dana. "Pretty much," she replied and took a seat at her computer. "I'll be back in about a couple hours," Alex said and he took off. I watched him disappear out the doorway. "He'll do that from time to time," came Dana, "Found me a couple days ago. Blackwatch, or whoever, was waiting at my apartment for me and Alex came in and literally punched right through the guy. Scared the shit out of me. We talked for a little bit and he said that he needed a place to stay. So, I brought him here. Friends of mine are gone for a couple weeks. I've been trying to help him find out what happened to him. But, maybe with you we'll make some good progress."

"Y-yeah, I'll do what I can to help," I replied.

Dana turned back to her computer. "So, it's the third day and they've confirmed that some type of infection has been confirmed here," she muttered to herself. With her preoccupied, I looked around and found a couch to sit on. I pulled out my computer and turned it on. My programs came up and I began to access the lower portions regions of Gentek. I had to do this every once and a while so my hacking wouldn't be detected until later on. I typed in a few commands and began to search the files that were stored here on this level. So far, I managed to find out about Blackwatch. Just a little bit of information. A few references to McMullen and Idaho. Something about the virus and a woman nicknamed MOTHER. She didn't sound like anyone you'd want to fuck with.

A couple hours passed. I pulled up the Blackwatch file again and went through it. A picture of a man popped up. He was white with brown fuzz on his face. He had kind blue eyes and a brown buzz cut. _Wait a minute,_ I thought, _I recognize him!_

This was that man who had helped me escape from the facility. On his picture, a big red stamp was printed on it. _DECEASED_. My heart skipped a beat. They probably found out that he was the one who helped me and killed him. _Damned assholes,_ I thought vehemently. I placed my head in my hand and minimized his picture and began to sort through the rest of the Blackwatch files. I came across a photo of the man who was the last to try and stop me back at the facility. Captain Cross. I shuddered at his picture. This guy looked like he would kill you just for sneezing or breathing the same air as him.

I glanced at the clock. It was 7:30 p.m. "Any luck?" I asked Dana. "Maybe," she replied. I walked over to her. There was a picture on the desktop of a woman who was probably not much older than us. She had short red hair and she was in what resembled a black wetsuit.

"Who's she?" I asked.

"Elizabeth Greene," said Dana.

Something rustled behind me. I turned around. Mercer was standing right over me. I jumped. "Where is she?" he asked.

"Gentek," Dana replied.

"Well, whoever the hell she is, she must know a lot more than I do," he said. He turned to go.

"I'm coming," I said. Mercer and Dana looked at me. "What?" I asked. They continued to stare. "Look," I said, "I may not have worked in the same field as you but that guy, McMullen? He did… something to me. I don't know if it was the same thing as what had happened to you, but this Greene lady may be able to help us both... Maybe," I explained. Dana and Alex exchanged a type glance only siblings know.

"Let her go," Dana said, "She might be able to help you get Greene out. I don't what kind of fuckers would keep a girl in someplace like this."

"Fine," Mercer replied. He turned to me. "Think you can keep up?" he asked. "I think I can manage," I replied. We made for the door. "Be careful, you two," Dana called out after us.

"Will do," I called back.

Once we were outside, Alex closed the door behind us. "Gentek's a bit east from here. Blackwatch will be all over that place, considering what happened last night," said Alex. I nodded. "So, we'll have to cut across the rooftops. It'll be a lot easier and much quicker," he continued, "Just stick with me."

"Oookay," I replied. He nodded and began to take a couple steps backward. Then, he started to sprint. When his feet hit the edge of the building, he launched himself into the air at least about sixty feet. I watched him soar over to a rooftop nearby. He rolled and landed when he hit the roof. He stood and looked in my direction. "Showoff!" I yelled. He waved me over.

_Okay, let's not look like an idiot now_, I thought as I took a few steps back. I took a couple breaths as if preparing myself for the gunshot that starts a race. I readied myself. And took off. The ground quickly left my feet as I stepped off the ledge. I launched myself into the air. _This is awesome!_ were my last thoughts as the rooftop came up to me.


	4. Hacker Ch 4

Ch. 4

I am a talented person

The ground came up too fast and I had jumped too soon. "Ah SHIT!" I yelled and flailed my arms out to grab anything. After a few tense seconds, I managed to latch onto the wall. I had skidded a couple of feet below the edge of the roof. A shadow covered me. I looked up. Mercer was smirking down at me.

"Having a little trouble there?" he asked.

"Oh, no. I'm fine. Just.. perfectly... fine," I grunted, hoisting myself up. I pulled myself up and over the edge.

"C'mon," Mercer said. I heaved a sigh and took off after him.

The next few jumps were a little easier. I kept up with him after that. Soon, Gentek loomed in front of us, covered in Blackwatch members and detectors. We got down on ground level and were a couple streets away when I spotted the detectors. I tapped Mercer on the shoulder and pointed at them. "They must have those up for a reason. Maybe they're viral detectors. Don't want to stay too close or long near them," I said.

"Right," he replied. Marines wandered the street below us. "If we walk like them, talk like them, we should be able to slip in," Mercer told me.

"Okay," I replied, "How are we going to do that?" "Watch me," he replied.

Mercer took off to the opposite side of the street where a few marines were walking. He passed right by them and then he turned around and began to shadow one. Without warning, he snaked his hand around the man's mouth and used the other to snap his neck. Suddenly, the body began to dissolve into red/black goo and into Mercer's body. He was now a marine. I grimaced. "That is way beyond freaky," I muttered and began to climb down. When I landed, a few people gave me odd looks but didn't say anything. Only in NYC do you have people coming off of roofs. I fast walked across the crosswalk over to where Alex was. He was waiting for me in the entrance of an alleyway holding a gun. I gave him a look. "You'll have to do it. Fast, before they noticed what happened," he told me.

I really didn't want to kill some random person, but Alex, it seemed, was completely at ease with the killing. Maybe it kept him sane.

_Necessary sacrifice_, I thought grimly. "Go," I heard him say and he prodded me in the back with the butt of his gun. "Stop it!" I hissed. I walked off to find someone to slip into. _This is going to be a fun day_, I thought grimly. I spotted a person who seemed pretty good. He was Blackwatch.

_Okay, quick and easy. Just think that this was the guy who killed that marine who helped you out that night. Just think about that and it shouldn't be too hard... Should it?_ I thought. I took a deep breath before I started to shadow him. I didn't want anybody else to see this. I followed behind him, keeping at a safe distance before he finally turned into an alleyway. I stayed in the shadows and watched as he took another turn. About ten seconds after he passed the bend, I smelled cigarette smoke. _Apparently he didn't want his superiors see him take a smoke_, I thought as I crept up behind him.Moving quickly so I couldn't change my mind, I reached up, took hold of his neck, and... snapped it. The bone against bone noise sounded so loud that I was surprised nobody else heard it. I didn't even have the time to start gagging as the cigarette fell from his mouth. The man slumped back into me. He was pretty heavy.

_Okay, what now? Don't panic, don't panic... Something should happen... _Thirty seconds passed and still nothing happened._ Watch, one of their guys is gonna come down here and find me here with a dead body! Ah... shit!_ Suddenly, a twisting, wet noise began to sound. I looked down. The man was turning into red and black goo. Tentacles of the same color and substance came out of me from nowhere and were taking in the body. The process was astonishingly painful. My head began to pound like I had an immense migraine. As the body began to dissolve into me, I fell to my knees. Finally... finally, it stopped. I was covered in sweat and my vision was blurry. I was on my hands and knees, swaying slightly. A pair of footsteps walked up to me.

"You alright there?" a voice asked. I glanced up. A marine stood in front of me. The voice was familiar. "Alex?" I croaked out. That was when I realized my voice was deeper. I felt different. _Oh god!_ I thought with panic, _I'm a man!_ The Alex-marine offered me his hand. "It gets easier with time," he told me, "Get your gun and let's go." I looked around and spotted the assault rifle a couple feet away from me. I picked it up and followed Alex to Gentek.

We were about a street away when I asked him, "So, what's going on?" He gave me a sideways glance. "Apparently, nobody's going in or out of Gentek unless they have special access. Lucky for you, your guy does. I have to... find someone else to get me inside. It'll take a moment." We walked past the viral detectors which lit up yellow and began to beep as soon as we walked in. "Wait for me by the entrance," Mercer said. I nodded and began to make my way over to the door.

I was almost there when I was hailed by a... fellow Blackwatch member. "Hey, Daniels. Heard anything about the past unit that just went in there?" he copped his thumb at the building.

"Uh... no," I said trying to act like I knew what I was doing.

"Damn shame, really. All of the squad members... dead about ten minutes after they got in. Hope you're not next. This platoon's already low on men as it is, what with Zeus and that chick running around out here. Command's gotta do something," he continued.

"What chick?" I asked. "That new girl who McMullen's pumped full of a new virus, from what I've heard. Apparently, she's a helluva lot dangerous than Zeus. If they were pitted against each other, my money's on her. Hands down." I gulped.

"Really?" I asked, "There's someone else powerful than... Zeus?"

" 'fraid so," he replied. He dismissed me with a nod of the head and walked away. I returned it and nearly jumped out of... my?... skin when somebody tapped me on the shoulder.

"Little jumpy here?" he said.

"Damn it! Quit scaring me!" I hissed.

"Make a new friend?" Mercer asked nodding his head over in the guy who I was just talking to. I shrugged and Mercer punched in a pass code that would open the doors. We slipped in with nobody watching.

"And here I thought Gentek was clean as clean could be," I remarked as we entered the building. The whole place, from top to bottom, was covered in orange goo that pulsated. There were bodies, some decomposing, all over the place. Alex had showed me how to change back to my original form. It felt really weird. "We'll have to go a couple floors up," Alex said, "If this guy's memories are correct, she should be on floor thirty, level D." I looked at him, about to ask what he meant by memories, but then I remembered the two men he... consumed.

About a good half hour passed when we finally reached our floor. More Blackwatch bodies were strewn about, along with more of the orange goo. An elevator nearby was opening and closing with a body between its doors, the light inside illuminating the body. I grimaced and hurried to keep up with Alex. I did NOT want to be left here alone.

Ahead of us stood an enormous glass containment field. In it, sat a woman, Greene, on a stretcher. She had her knees pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around her legs. My stomach twisted into knots. I had a really bad feeling about this... woman. "Alex," I whispered, "Alex!" He stopped and turned around. I grabbed his arm. "Please, I don't like this," I told him, "I don't think we should be here. I don't trust her."

He uneasily tugged his arm out of my grasp. "She probably knows a lot more than we do," he said.

"Is it worth the risk?" I asked, kind of leaning back towards the exit. "It must be," he replied, "If you want to leave, go ahead." I immediately straightened up. "Uh uh," I said and ran after him. When we reached the containment door, I backed off, kind of unsure. I glanced uneasily around.

I wanted out of here.

Mercer walked up the stairs to the open door. "Elizabeth Greene?" he asked. I saw her look up at him.

"The time for waiting is over," she said.

Her voice had an eerie sound to it, one I could not describe. It seemed to echo throughout the room. She sounded like she was breathless. Suddenly, Mercer was thrown back. I jumped and rushed over to him. I placed my hands on his shoulders and he looked up at me. Then, I heard footsteps and looked up to see Greene walking over to us. Mercer tried to get up.

"I don't understand," he said.

"Watch," Greene said and she touched his forehead. And suddenly, the images in my mind were not my own.

They were hers.

It showed Hope, Idaho before and after. A young woman come into sight. She must have been Greene. There was that orange substance all over the place. It was horrible. People crying out. Screams. I couldn't take it anymore. She suddenly released us. I collapsed on the ground next to Mercer.

I struggled to get up. Greene placed her hand on the wall behind us. It dissolved into a huge hole. Mercer and I looked at her. She seemed to almost smile at the city and us. She looked at Mercer.

"I am your Mother," she said to him in that eerie voice of hers. Her words seemed to echo throughout the room. _I am Mother. I am your Mother_, was repeated over and over again, like a mantra. Greene stepped out over the ledge and fell straight down. She was gone.

Then, a tearing, squishy noise alerted us. We both turned to see several creatures exit the orange, pulsating goo. They were enormous and had pink-red goo pulsing just below the surface of their skin. These were the creatures of my dream. Mercer and I scrambled to our feet. We jumped.

We fell thirty stories down to the hard cement below. On the way down, Mercer placed himself between me and the ground since I was still new to this. We landed hard. The marines nearby didn't fully register what had just happened. Mercer grabbed one nearby and started punching him to a pulp before absorbing him into his body. "Okay..." he breathed, "I know where to go." Just as he finished talking, a few of those creatures landed around us.

"Alright, where?" I yelled over the gunfire that erupted around us. "Follow me!" Mercer yelled back and we took off across the streets with the creatures directly behind us. We heard a man's yell over an intercom: "There's Mercer and Light. Those fucking creatures are chasing them!"

"No shit, Sherlock," I muttered.

A few streets over, there was a military base. Personnel were on top of the building, but Alex and I jumped straight up and into the skylight. We fell through the glass and landed amidst several marines who were too surprised to react when we came in. A few of them took notice of who we were and lined up. Alex placed an arm in front of me, as if to keep the bullets from hitting me. Just as they were about to open fire, the creatures entered. They came crashing down.

The marines were stunned when this new foe arrived. For a moment, it seemed like we all didn't know what to do besides stare at each other. The creatures made the first move. Two bolted into the crowd of marines while three others surrounded us.

"I'm open to suggestions," I said to Alex. We began to back up as our enemies moved forward. "Here's one," Alex replied and he began to kind of twist. His arms started to ripple and contort. Suddenly, claws sprouted out. Long, sharp, and deadly. He pushed me back among the vehicles.

"Are you stupid?!" I hissed, "I can fight!"

"They're more likely to come after me than you," he said as he waved me off and charged forward yelling, "COME AND GET ME!"

I stayed where I was for a moment until I started to hear pounding footsteps nearby. Suddenly, one of the vehicles that I was standing nearby was picked up and underneath box number two was Fugly Ass. My face fell as I saw the creature, who we later dubbed as a "Hunter", hoisting the at least two ton car over its head. I started to walk backwards, unsure of what to do. The Hunter threw the vehicle. I dove for the ground and heard it crash behind me. I got up quickly as I saw the Hunter advance towards me. I ran and it rode on my heels.

_Okay, okay, don't panic. You just have some freaky assed mofo behind you and you have no earthly idea on how to fight it. Okay, now is _definitely_ the time to panic!_ I thought as I raced around the complex.

Several guns were strewn about the floor. "Alright, grab one of those," I muttered and dove for an assault rifle. As soon as my fingers touched the gun, I twisted onto my back and started firing at the creature that pursued me. The bullets caught it right in the face. It began to swing wildly at me, as if to bat away the bullets. I avoided the swipes as best I could, although one caught me in the side. I felt the tips of the claws cut through my skin. I tumbled away and looked at the wound, half expecting my innards to be on the ground. What surprised me was that it was already healing and fast.

I got back up and had to move fast as four other Hunters came in through the skylight, replacing the three that were dead. I watched as Mercer slammed a kick into one of the Hunter's face. It lurched back and held a hand up to its face while the other was trying to ward away anything that came near it. Blood was gushing out of what may have been the Hunter's nose.

I took off towards it, going on instinct. I leapt onto its back. It swung its arms up over its head to try to get me. Suddenly, the tendrils that I used to consume the marine started snaking towards the Hunter. They pierced its skin, and its health, as well as faded memories, entered me. I jumped off it as it fell to the ground. I felt unsteady.

My skin began to prickle and itch. Then, twin pairs of claws sprouted from my hands. I jumped a little at them and began to examine them. I know, it was a stupid thing to do when you're in the middle of a battle, but I could not help myself.

"Kenzie, you care to not examine your nails right now and kindly help me?" Alex yelled from across the complex.

I snapped to it and raced over to help him tackle a Hunter that was giving him a little. It gave under our combined weight and died with a roar. The four Hunters that were in here with us soon gave under our combined strength. It grew quiet without the Hunters' roars echoing throughout the complex. Then, we became well aware of several guns clicking and aiming in our direction. The marines had us surrounded.

Alex and I began to walk backwards until we bumped into each other. We looked at each other.

"Have any ideas?" he muttered to me.

"One," I replied, "Do what I do." I raised my hands over my head. I bumped Alex in the hip, signaling him to do the same.

"Alright, fine. You got us. We surrender," I called out.

"Are you insane?" Alex hissed out of the corner of his mouth, "This is your plan."

"Yeah and it will work. Just trust me," I replied as the marines began to box us in. Just as they were close enough, I fell to my knees, pretending to be doubled over in pain. The marines were instantly on guard.

"Kenzie...?" I heard Alex say and he moved towards. "Hey! Jacket!" a marine bellowed, "Stay where you are! Don't move!"

At that, I raised my head and gave the marine a wicked smile. "You know, we have names," I said and doubled over again as red, gray, and black mini tendrils curled around my body. I arched my back up which sent a powerful shockwave out over the complex, knocking down the marines. I got up slowly. Alex gave me a surprised look.

I gave him a half smile. "Told ya I could fight," I said. He shook his head.

I motioned to him to follow me. "Hit those fuel tanks. Maybe they'll take down this base," I told him. I looked around at the marines who were still on the ground, stunned by my attack. I grabbed a rocket launcher nearby. As I hoisted it over my shoulder, I thought, _I've always wanted to fire one of these things!_

I made sure I had a good grip on it before pressing the trigger. The recoil almost knocked me on my ass. The rocket flew straight into one of the tanks which erupted into a shower of burning metal and gasoline. A second and third explosion sounded behind me. Alex combined his claws and a gun to take them down. By using his claws, he cut open a part of the metal and fired into the opening, which then exploded.

Suddenly, twin pairs of _thumps!_ sounded next to me. I turned to face two Hunters just staring at me, as if to plan their next move. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me," I said and rolled to the left as one took a swipe at me.

"Kenzie, keep them distracted. I'll get the tanks!" I heard Alex yell.

"Roger that, good buddy!" I replied, "Besides, I think they're already distracted by _mah beauty!_" I laughed.

All I saw was Alex smile a little before a Hunter's paw smacked me right in the face. I tumbled head over heels into a wall. Bits of the concrete fell on the ground next to me. I tumbled into an upright position and faced my new adversary. "Alright, you wanna play rough, bitch? I'll give you rough!" I yelled at the Hunters in front of me. I unleashed my claws and charged forward, swiping at every bit of flesh I could reach. The marines were nowhere to be seen. They must have realized that this was a losing fight and evacuated the building.

We had two more fuel tanks to burst before we could leave. I rammed another Hunter who was in front of me. Just before I made contact with its body, its paws shot out and the next thing I knew, I was on the other side of the complex, slammed into the wall. It hurt like hell. I fell forward on my hands and knees. I was still reeling from the amount of damage my body could take. Had I been normal, my whole body would have been shattered from impact. Twin explosions sounded off to my right.

Alex managed to break the last two fuel tanks. Suddenly, the whole building began to quiver and shake from internal explosions. Debris began to fall from the ceiling. A wall nearby began to crack from the explosion's pressure. "Uh, how do we get out?" I asked Alex when he reached me.

The building rocked us as another explosion sounded. Just as the building collapsed, Alex grabbed me and launched us right out a hole in the nearby wall. The base imploded in on itself just as we escaped. There was no way those Hunters could have survived.

Alex and I landed out on a street that was right outside the base. People were running towards the collapsed building, curious as to what had just happened. A woman ran up to Alex who had placed himself between me and the blast when the base imploded. I looked up at Alex when the woman came over to ask if we were alright. Alex glanced at me for a second and we untangled ourselves from each other. "Thank God you two are alright!" the woman exclaimed, "Do you know what happened?" Alex and I exchanged a look. "No," he said and we turned onto the sidewalk as military personnel began to arrive.


	5. Hacker Ch 5

Ch. 5

Laying Low Is Harder Than You Think

Alex took hold of my elbow and steered me down a random street. When we neared other people, he moved his grip to my wrist and forced me to trot alongside. He walked as fast as he could through the New York crowds with me in tow. It was like this for about ten minutes when we hit a crosswalk we were "allowed" to stop at.

The other five that we passed by involved us running across that the street just as the streetlights turned green leaving us with barely enough time to make it to the other side. Taxis and other drivers were honking and screaming at us as we bolted in front of them.

While we were waiting, a small group of men in marine attire passed us by. Alex's grip tightened on my wrist as they came close. As soon as they were out of earshot, I yanked my hand out from Alex's steel vise. He gave me a sideways look but said nothing and folded his arms across his chest.

"Ok, do you want to tell me what's got you so scared?" I asked quietly. Alex didn't respond immediately. Curious, I turned my head a fraction to look up at him. Just as I turned my head he turned his down a little so that he faced me. Clouds that had been blocking the sun for sometime faded away for just a moment. A sunbeam hit Alex in the back of his head. The light framed his hood, making the face within darker than was normal. His eyes seemed to shine with an unnatural glow.

He was just about to answer my question when suddenly the deafening sound of several engines sounded.

The crosswalk signal just turned white, but nobody dared to move. The reason: tanks. And lots of them. Alex and I jerked our heads up as the monstrosities rumbled down the street.

"That was why I was in such a hurry," Alex said to me over the rumbling. I looked at him, not really comprehending what he was saying. _Sure, tanks are bad business but he's not making any sense,_ I thought. Alex seemed annoyed at me. He pursed his lips and his eyebrows furrowed together. "I picked up a COM device earlier and someone was saying that they were dispatching patrols to search for me – us – with those mobile viral detectors. If they can trace us, they could track our signal to Dana's safe house."

He stopped.

_Well, shit…_

The convoy finished and we quickly crossed. After about a minute, Alex pulled me into an alleyway. "Hey!" I protested as he swung me out from the crowd we were walking with. We got a few disgruntled comments from the passersby but were quickly forgotten. Alex took me by the shoulders when he was positive that we weren't being watched. He forced me to look at him and I had to ignore the heat that was emanating from his palms. "Look," he started, "I need you to head back to the safe house and protect Dana. Do whatever you need to do."

My eyebrows knitted together. "Wait, won't the viral detectors trace my signal?" I asked.

Alex looked at me and grimly smirked. "I think they're more interested in going after me since they think that we'll be at each other's throats," he replied.

_Yeah, something like that, _I first thought, then,_ Oh, my God! Shut up!_ I thought stupidly. I felt heat creep up my neck. I was glad I was mostly in shadow. "Are you sure you don't want me coming with you?" I asked him.

"I'll be fine. At the moment, you're about the only person I can trust to keep Dana safe. Now go! I have a few errands to run." With that, Alex left me and ran out from the alleyway, disrupting the steady stream of people walking by.

A few people were knocked to the side and turned to glare at the one who brushed past them, but Alex was already gone.

I vaulted up an apartment and landed near the safe house. I hit the top and grimaced. I stood up and examined myself. No pain. I was taken aback. _This is still really_ _strange,_ I thought.

I glanced down at my feet. The concrete had crumbled underneath my feet. "Wow," I muttered.

I shook off the gravel dust that had accumulated on the bottom of my jeans and walked over to Dana's door. Unsure of what to do first, I knocked on it, not wanting to barge in like Alex. The door creaked open and Dana's blue-eyed face peeked out.

"Oh, it's you," she muttered.

"Thanks," I replied with sarcastic cheerfulness. Dana shrugged and opened the door wider to let me through. I stepped into the dark interior illuminated by a lone computer screen. Dana shut the door behind me and walked over to her computer. I took off my jacket, folded it, and placed it on the arm of the couch.

"Alex sent you home early?" came Dana's voice. I looked up. Dana's back was to me, her head illuminated by the computer creating a halo. I hesitated before answering, unsure of what to tell her.

"Ah," I deliberated. Dana swiveled around in her chair to look at me and raised an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah, he did," I replied at last. Dana nodded once before focusing on her work. I let out a silent sigh and looked around the small interior. Something caught my eye. I zeroed in on it; it was a cable that ran the length of the room. I followed it, taking cautious steps whenever the cable ran out of view. The cable ran up behind a desk. I looked up.

It was connected to Dana's computer. I stood up on my tiptoes to look over her shoulder and examined her computer from where I stood. My eyebrows rose up into my hairline. Her computer had security to survive novice hackers and she would be able to erase her virtual tracks when hacking into a weak server, but without stronger protection, her digging could be detected by a cell phone.

And Blackwatch.

_Do whatever I need to, huh?_ I thought. Keeping one eye on Dana's back, I cautiously tiptoed over to where the cable was plugged into the wall. I kneeled down and fingered the plug before pulling it. "Sorry Dana but Alex wants you to be safe," I murmured and yanked out the plug.

Two things happened:

One: Dana's voice yelling, "What the fuck?!" as her computer's screen went black and…

Two: The rest of the lights that were on in the house went out. Apparently, I had pulled the plug that was connected to the interior lighting causing a small power outage.

My eyes widened in surprise when this happened. You're probably thinking oh how could an expert hacker not know that a plug which connects to the computer is also connected to the interior lighting?

Well, shit happens, doesn't it?

"What the hell?!" Dana yelled again, snapping me out of my stupor. I hastily shoved the plug back in but nothing happened. _Oh, come on! _I thought.

A small light came on in the kitchen. My head snapped up and I got up quickly. I didn't want Dana to see that I had caused her little blackout. "You have to be kidding me," she grumbled again when she tried the light switch by the kitchen door. She looked at me where I stood trying to remain casual by the couch. "Do you have any idea what happened?" she asked me.

"Maybe the military hit a powerline which caused a small power outage," I suggested.

"And just when I was starting to get something good," she muttered. She set the small lantern on the coffee table by the door and went back into the kitchen to grab another.

I heaved a sigh and plopped onto the couch. Dana came back. "I'm guessing it'll be out for awhile," she said and flopped into her computer chair. I took a peek at my phone. The glowing numbers on the screen told me it was 11:43 p.m. It had been about four hours since we were at Gentek and battling the Hunters in the warehouse. I glanced up to see what Dana was doing. She was slouching in her computer chair.

"Ah, Dana?" I asked. She looked up.

"Hmm?"

"Where's the bathroom? I need to change."

"It's down the hall to your right," she replied.

"Thanks," I said and gathered up my things.

Twenty minutes, a hot shower, and clean PJs later, I returned to the living room to find Dana not there. "Dana?" I called out softly. I searched the room thoroughly. I walked down the hallway and saw off to my left a door open. I peeked in and saw Dana curled up on the twin bed, sound asleep.

I smiled and quietly closed the bedroom door. Walking back to the living room, I glanced at the clock. 12:15. I heaved a sigh and plopped onto the couch and pulled out a book from my bag by the side of the couch. Opening up the worn down pages, I leaned back onto the couch and was dead to the world.

I'm a sucker for romantics.

It was about 2:45 when I finally knocked out. About an hour and half later, I faintly heard the inside of the doorknob turning. I soon realized that I fell asleep on my stomach so I wasn't able to see who was opening up the door.

The door opened and shut quietly behind the person. The night air rushed in softly, letting the fresh summer breeze which appeared to be slightly tainted by something. I just couldn't place my finger on it.

Footsteps sounded softly as the person passed the couch. When he, at least I assumed it was a guy, moved in front of the couch and near the computer, I heard him mutter, "Guess there must have been a surge when that tank smacked into the power lines." It was Alex.

He paused, looked around, and headed off into the kitchen. He didn't return for a while which led me to assume that he was checking in on Dana. He came back into the living room a few minutes later. I didn't dare move my stance while he was gone since I didn't want to let him know that I was awake.

I sneaked a peek when he had his back to me again. This time, he wasn't in the normal leather hoodie and boots; he had on a white, button down, long sleeved shirt and pants. I could see his sock-covered feet peeking out from under the pant legs.

I bit my lip to keep a giggle from escaping. He turned around and I quickly shut my eyes. I heard him walk over to where I lay on the couch.

_ Oh crap! He knows I'm awake… or… or something!_ I thought frantically.

Without thinking, I let go of my book that I was holding. It landed with a quiet _thump!_ on the ground. He was near me. I tried to keep my "sleeping" face composed. I heard the rustling of clothing as he bent down to retrieve my fallen book. I heard the pages scuffle slightly as he tried to keep my place in the book where I had stopped.

After a moment, I heard him place my book on the coffee table. He must have been examining the cover of the book for I heard a soft laugh escape from him. I resisted the urge to pout and glare at him. _Don't laugh at my book selection!_ I mentally scolded him.

Then, his footsteps retreated and I heard him flop into a chair nearby. Within a minute, he was out like a light. I snuck a peek to make sure he was actually asleep. He was.

"Phew," I muttered and sat up. One of the curtains was open and the moonlight from outside illuminated his face. He seemed at peace. Smiling a little, I got up and looked around for a blanket. I found one behind the couch and pulled it out.

Unfolding, I walked carefully over to him. I didn't want to trip and wake him up with my damned clumsiness. I stepped around the small coffee table and softly laid the blanket on him. I moved the blanket up over his shoulders and he moved slightly. I froze.

He stopped after another tense second and I hurriedly situated the blanket on him so he wouldn't get cold. When I pulled back to go lay on the couch, I felt something gently wrap around my wrist. I looked down and saw a small black tendril curling around my wrist. The tip of the tendril rested on my pulse which was pounding like a jackrabbit.

I didn't dare pull back for fear of waking Alex. After a moment, it let go and I hurried over to the couch. I wrapped my blanket up over me and faced the couch. I bundled up into a ball and didn't wake for the next couple of hours.

It was about 6:30 in the morning when I finally woke up. My phone was vibrating quietly on the surface of the coffee table. My hand crept out from under the blanket and I felt around on the cold surface till I found my phone. I turned off the alarm and checked the time. I grumbled when I saw the clock and tossed the blanket back on me.

When I couldn't go back to sleep, I pulled the blanket off my face and looked up at the ceiling. I laid there for a few minutes until I heard even breathing nearby. I looked out the corner of my eye and saw Alex curled under the blanket in the chair across from the couch.

He was still asleep.

_Must've been tired from yesterday_, I thought as I quietly got up from the couch. I looked around for my jeans, shirt, and hoodie from yesterday. They were gone.

I gave the room another look-around before walking softly to the shower. I was thinking about heading out for a little while. Notscrew around with the military. Just run around, see how Manhattan's doing.

I turned on the water and got the shower running. I stripped quickly and stepped in. Since I had a shower yesterday night, I didn't stay in too long. The warm water felt good and it woke me up. I had grabbed my toothbrush before going in there and brushed my teeth to get that morning taste out of my mouth.

I turned off the shower and grabbed my towel. As I wrapped it around me, I stepped out and saw that my PJs were gone.

"Okay. Somebody's obviously fucking with me," I muttered as I carefully opened the door to a deserted hallway. I looked both directions before stepping out. I felt water dripping off the ends of my hair as I walked into the living room. Alex wasn't there any longer and I stiffened.

_Ah crap!_ I thought. I was going to be mortified if Alex saw me standing here in only a towel. I turned around to head back to the bathroom when I ran into to something. Or rather someone.

I let out a tiny shriek and stumbled back. "Quiet!" someone hissed, "You wanna wake up the whole neighborhood?" It was Dana.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, okay. It's only you," I whispered.

Dana grumbled and shifted something in her hands onto the other side of her hip. It was a laundry basket filled with clothes. My jeans and PJs were right on top.

"Hey! That's my stuff!" I said and made a move towards it.

"Nuh uh," Dana said and moved the laundry basket out of my reach. I glared at her.

"Don't make me take it from you," I warned her.

"Try me," she smiled.

Then, we heard a door open and someone ask, "What the hell's going on?" That was Alex. I suddenly remembered my semi-naked state and panicked.

I saw one sock covered foot about to cross the threshold when Dana slammed the door in his face.

"Ow! What the FUCK Dana?!" he yelled.

"Sorry Alex," Dana called, "Don't come out."

"You know you could've just told me that!"

"I know but it's more fun this way." At that, Dana rummaged around until she dug out a pair of old gray sweats and an NYU sweatshirt and tossed them at me.

"Put those on. I'll have your clothes ready in twenty," she said to me and walked to the back of the room where I was sure the small laundry room was. Quickly, I threw on the sweatshirt and then the sweats.

I heard a muffled sigh. "Can I come out now?" asked Alex.

"Um, yeah," I said.

Alex opened the carefully, afraid that his sister was lurking around on the other side, ready to smash the door in his face.

Then, he turned and looked at me. I gave him a tentative smile before fast walking to the kitchen. I looked around a little, but found that I wasn't that hungry.

I closed the cabinet doors and strolled out. Finding nothing else to do, I slowly walked back into the living room where Alex was sitting on the couch. In my seat.

I nearly glared at him.

_I am_ not_ sitting next to him! _I thought as I took a seat in his chair. He was still in the same attire that I saw him in earlier this morning.

"Sleep well?" he asked me.

"As well as can be expected," I muttered.

"What were you doing up so early?"

I froze. I didn't know if he meant what had happened when he had gotten home earlier this morning or if he meant when I woke up at 6:30. I decided to go with the latter.

"Eh, I just thought about getting some air. Check how things're doing…" I trailed off.

"Uh huh," was all Alex said. It was silent before the next word was spoken.

"I was thinking about heading out myself. Care to join me?"

I looked up at Alex and raised an eyebrow. It has only been the fourth day of the infection.

"What? I was thinking about stretching my muscles. See what the competition's like," he continued.

"Um, sure, I guess," I replied.

"Alright," Alex nodded and he moved to get up.

"Wait, wait," I stopped him; "My clothes aren't done."

Alex gave me a look. "Why don't you just go out in that?" he asked. I looked down at my clothing and my shoulders slumped. "Do you not see what I am wearing?" I asked.

He nodded nonchalantly. "Okay, good. I cannot go out in this. It's perfect for those days when all you want to do is sit in front of the TV and vegg but it's not good for running around out there," I continued.

He gave me the "do I look like I really care about what you wear?" look.

"Just let me wait until my clothes are done," I asked.

"Fine," he replied and stood up. He walked into the bedroom and closed the door.

After fifteen minutes, Dana came out bearing my clothes. They were nice and warm and clean.

"Thanks Dana," I said as I took them from her.

"No problem," she replied. I went into the bathroom and changed. When I back in my clothes, I knocked on Alex's door. "I'll be out in a minute," he called.

"Alright, but hurry up," I called in after him.

I heard something like a "yeah, yeah, yeah" and laughed to myself.

_I'll just wait for him outside_, I thought and walked out. The cold morning air greeted me as soon as I opened the door. I breathed it in and exhaled; my puff of air smoking in front of me.

It would have been a normal morning were there not military helicopters circling the city and fires off in the distance. I gazed out across the building. The smell of fire came. I used to love that smell.

I heard the door open and close behind me. I turned and saw Alex walk out and join me.

"So, where to?" I asked him.

"Well…" he started out, "I was thinking we should take a stroll through Central Park."

"A what-now?" I asked and looked at him.

"Just follow me," he said and vaulted up into the air and glided over to the adjacent building which he began to run up.

"Fine," I grumbled and followed suit.


	6. Hacker Ch 6

Ch. 6

Running never felt this fun.

As soon as I landed on the building, my feet scrambled for purchase on the slick wall. I heard Alex slide down to meet me.

"Grab hold of the wall," he called out. Still sliding down it, I dug my nails in and slid to the stop. Even though I was hanging by my nails I had finally stopped. Heaving a grateful sigh, I drew up my legs and placed them between me and the building and got a better grip.

Alex hung right up above me. I looked up and saw that he was hanging backwards with his hands and feet behind him. "How're you doing that?" I asked.

"I've a little more practice than you've had," he said simply, "Come on." He nodded his head upward.

"Uh, how do I do that?"

"Just jump up." Suddenly, he jumped and was thirty feet above me. Grumbling, I situated myself and prepared to jump when I heard a helicopter's engine behind me. Fearing what I would see, I turned around and came face to face with two pilots who were staring awestruck at me.

"Oh hell," I muttered and scrambled to jump. I saw one of the pilots raise a COM device to his mouth and I jumped up. I flew up and started running as soon as I caught up with Alex.

"Run!" I yelled. We hurried up over the building as the helicopter followed us. I followed Alex as we jumped from building to building. Adrenaline kept me going. We soon found ourselves in Central Park.

"Told ya we'd come here," Alex called out to me over his shoulder as we ran through the park. We heard several people scream in surprise. The helicopter was still hot on our trail and started firing on us.

"What the hell?" I yelled, "There's people here! They're gonna kill them!"

"They don't give a rat's ass who lives or dies as long as they kill us," Alex said as we dodged as many bullets as we could. We sprinted through the park and into the street. We ran into the street, jumping over cars until Alex pulled me into an alleyway. We hunkered down as the helicopter passed over us.

It hovered just above the apartment, its pilots searching in vain. It left after a few more seconds. We waited a little while before coming out.

I backed up against the wall; Alex had a hand on my shoulder and leaned out from behind the wall. He quickly pulled back and silenced my questions with a finger. Several pairs of boots pounded by our hiding place.

"Damn," he muttered, "They're all over the place."

We remained hidden for a moment longer before Alex spoke again. "Do you remember how to change?" he asked me.

"Um, kinda. Yeah," I replied uneasily, "Why?"

"There's too many of them for us to outrun unless you want to risk getting shot at. We have to blend in."

I knew where this was going and I wasn't going to like it. Alex took a step back and his form shifted until a Blackwatch member stood in his place. No matter how many times I watched him do that, it still freaked me out.

He waited until I had changed. I shuddered as I took on the new form. "God, this is beyond freaky," I said.

"Come on," Alex said and as we were about to walk out, a phone started ringing. Loud. It was mine.

Alex spun around as I frantically searched for it. I found it in one of many pockets on the uniform and was going to answer it when I realized I was still in my man-form. I shifted back quickly and answered the phone. Alex motioned for me to hurry. There were marine personnel who had heard the phone.

I nodded. "Hello?" I asked.

"Kenzie!" a girl's voice shrieked with gleam. I held the phone two inches from my ear. It was Kate.

"Oh god! Kenzie! I'm so glad I could finally get a hold of you!" she shrieked again.

"Uh, yeah," I said uneasily.

"Wait, Kens. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Remember what happened the night before you left? How everybody was all over our apartment? Certain people may be tapping into the cell phone lines…" I trailed off. She got the general idea.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Forgot about that."

"No it's okay. Where are you anyway?"

"Just outside of Georgia. Staying with my grandparents."

"Okay, that's good." I nodded absentmindedly.

"Oh, Kenzie?"

"Yeah?"

"You remember that guy who kicked that other guy's ass before I left?"

"Yeeeeah?"

"You're not with him are you?" I gulped. Sudden laughter greeted my ear.

"Oh my god! I knew it! You guys are probably on the run and are gonna fall in loooove! O-M-G! Kens! I can't believe this!" She burst into another bout of laughter. I looked over at Alex who was dragging his hand across his neck. I needed to get off the phone now.

"Oh, hey Kate? I need to go. I just forgot I had to run some errands. I'll call you back later," I lied.

"Uh huh. Right, some 'errands'," she replied. I could practically hear those quotation marks.

"Dammit Kate!" I yelled.

"Buh bye, Kenzie," she said and hung up. I pressed the power button and placed my phone in my jeans' pocket. Alex walked over to me.

"How long were you planning on talking?" he shot at me.

I was taken aback. "Well, _sorry_," I replied. Alex looked around. "Crap," he muttered as we heard the marines' footsteps come closer.

"We don't have much time and you won't be able to change without being seen," he said softly.

"What do you want to do?" I asked him.

"Try to change your facial features, maybe even your hair. Pull your hood up and just keep quiet," he explained and walked over to me. He pulled the mask off a little above his nose. My face reddened when I watched him do it.

I pulled away as he came closer. "McKenzie, come on," he muttered and moved to stop me. I froze when I heard a splash behind us. Alex took my shoulders and bent his head into the crook of my neck. I couldn't move.

_Oh hell!_ I thought.

"Just relax," Alex whispered. His breath brushed up against my skin. "I don't feel like fighting these guys right now," he continued softly.

The footsteps stopped just behind Alex. He drew back when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He situated me so the marines couldn't get a clear look at me.

"What seems to be the problem, sir?" Alex asked pulling the mask back over his face. The marine who seemed to be the commanding officer leaned around Alex to look at me. Alex moved with the officer. He stopped and looked up at Alex.

"I thought you Blackwatch guys weren't gift-happy," he said gesturing at me. I inched a little more behind Alex. Alex laughed.

"Ah? This? She's my girlfriend. Been well over six months since I last saw her. Damn captain's been working me and my men to death. Haven't had shore leave in a long ass time. Got transferred here a couple days ago to learn that she was here. We have a lot of catching up to do. Don't we?" Alex looked down at me.

I realized that he wanted me to do something. _Well, he said not to talk, soooo,_ I thought and just nodded shyly.

The man laughed. Alex joined him before saying, "You mind not telling my XO right now?"

"Ha ha, don't worry. I'll try to buy you fifteen minutes," the man said and winked at me. "Careful with her. I think she's fragile," he said before he and the other two marines left us.

I made to move out from under Alex but he stayed in my way. I glared at him as he pulled the gas mask off his face. He smirked. "Just stay where you are until they're out of sight," he said simply.

I grumbled but stayed where I was until Alex moved out of my way. "Okay, change now and we can get out of here," he said.

I scrunched up my face and thought of changing. My form contorted until I was a man… again. This was not what I had in mind when I wanted to spend my summer vacation in New York.

Taking me by the elbow, Alex led me down another alleyway before we were street level again. People passed by the entrance to the alleyway before we joined it. "Just act natural," Alex muttered to me as we walked with the crowd.

It seemed like we were going to get out of here quite easily until we passed by a group of Blackwatch men. I saw one do a double take when he passed by us.

"What the hell-?" I heard him say. Alex stepped up his pace. Guns clicked behind us. "I heard Daniels was killed back at Gentek," one of the men said.

"If he was dead, then what the fuck is he doing walking around out here?" another asked.

"That's because one of the damned shape shifters is wearing his skin. Take 'em down."

"But sir, there're civilians."

"I don't give a fuck. Shoot when I tell you to shoot. These people will be dead within the week. May as well put them out their misery now."

As soon as the order to shoot us was given, Alex and I were already running down the street. We had shed our disguises and ran like hell. A few stray bullets streaked past us, but we were running too fast for any of them to hit us even if they wanted to.

"You had to pick that guy, didn't you?" Alex yelled at me as he vaulted over an SUV.

"Excuse me? How the hell was I supposed to know this guy had friends?" I retorted

Alex didn't reply. We ran in silence, jumping over swerving cars until we turned down one street and up a building. We kept running for a good fifteen minutes till we lost them by vaulting over a building.

It was close to one in the afternoon when my stomach growled. I needed food. Alex stopped by a nearby vender and snagged a couple of bagels when the cashier's back was turned.

We climbed up the back of a building and soon found ourselves on top of the Empire State building. "I've always wanted to come here," I said after swallowing my second bagel.

Alex was still on his first. I withdrew my hand from the box of bagels. I didn't want to look like a pig. We sat on companionable silence for a moment. The sun rose high and warmed us.

"How many people have you killed?" I asked him suddenly.

Alex turned his head slightly but didn't look at me. He didn't answer for a while. Then, "I don't know," he muttered. He sounded exhausted.

I didn't push the subject. "You're not a monster, Alex," I told him.

"Then what am I?"

I thought for a moment. "You're just a person who's had too many bad things happen to him." I gave him a soft smile.

"Me and Dana both will help you get through this," I said.

It was silent for a little while longer, then Alex stood up. "Head back over to Dana's. I'll be home soon. Don't worry about me," he said. I pursed my lips.

"I just need to be alone for a little while. Just need time to think," he continued.

"Fine," I grumbled.

"Besides, you need time to work on your part of the bargain. Getting into Gentek's databases."

Oh hell! I nearly forgot. And it must have shown on my face for Alex said, "Better get going then." I hopped off the Empire State building and glided and jumped my way to Dana's house.

I knocked and Dana let me in. After closing the door behind me, I flopped onto the couch and closed my eyes. I hadn't realized I had fallen asleep until a clock tower chimed nearby. I jumped out of my sleep and looked around groggily.

I listened to the chimes to find out what time it was. It was midnight. "Man, I slept the day away," I muttered and yawned. I pulled my arms back over my head and listened to the joints pop back into place. I looked around till I found my laptop and turned it on. The screen remained black.

I had forgotten to charge it. I found my bag and dug around till I found the charger and plugged my laptop into an outlet. God, I was tired. It was only day five. _Fug!_ I thought. I didn't bother with my laptop till the next day. I got up for little while at midnight of the sixth day but then I curled back up on the couch and slept till 8:30.

I woke to the sound of someone typing on the computer. I got up, yawned, and rolled over to see who was making all that noise. It was Alex. He was hunched over Dana's computer looking for something or someone. I got up and stretched.

"Morning," I mumbled.

"Morning," Alex replied.

"Where's Dana?"

"Asleep. She's been working all night."

"Oh." I got up from the couch and walked over to see what he was doing. "You looking for someone?" I asked.

"An ex-girlfriend. Karen Parker. Dana says she'll be able to help combat the virus, maybe even produce a cure. Blackwatch hasn't been to her apartment but I don't know how long she'll remain hidden. I need to leave now. I'll probably be back in a couple of hours." Alex consulted the map on the computer's screen once more before taking off.

About two hours after Alex left, my phone rang. I checked the caller I.D. It was Kate. I groaned and stepped outside and away from Dana's safe house to answer it.

I stood on top of a building and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Kenzie!"

"Hey Kate. What's up?"

"Nothing really. Man, have you seen the news reports lately?"

"No."

"Every news media station is covering New York! They've even shot some footage of the zombies. Everyone looks horrible! Bastards even cancelled some of my favorite shows just to cover the NYC virus. Constant updates. They keep mentioning that Mercer guy and some girl they've nicknamed 'Light'. They haven't released her name yet. I wonder who she is," Kate sang.

"Hah, me too," I replied.

"So, how have you been?"

"Okay."

"Can you get out of New York?"

"Hah," I laughed, "I think it's a little too late for that. They've quarantined the whole island of Manhattan three days ago. Nobody gets in or out. They've even brought in Special Forces guys along with the regular marines. These guys don't screw around."

"Damn," was all Kate said.

"Yeah. Hell, Kate, I don't know what I've gotten myself into by staying here. Shit's been hitting the fan all over."

"Just hang in there. I know you can beat this thing."

"Thanks," I smiled, " Hoodie"- my nickname for Mercer-" has a friend who thinks may be able to cure this virus. I hope she can."

"You sure she can be trusted?" Kate asked suddenly.

"I've never met her." I shrugged, "But if he trusts her enough, I'm sure she's okay."

"Just be careful, Kens."

"I will. Talk to you later."

"Bye." We hung up and I pocketed my phone. I stood there for a little while longer before something caught my eye. It was pink, huge, and fugly as hell. "Oh shit!" I yelped and took off over the rooftops with the Hunter right on my heels.

"You've got to be kidding me!" I shrieked as I led the Hunter back over into the infected areas. I dropped back on the streets and ran as fast as I could. After a moment, I looked over my shoulder and laughed as the Hunter took rocket to the face.

"Hah!" I yelled and turned around-

To run smack-dab into a tank. I hit the APC full throttle and nearly toppled it. I bounced back and landed on my ass. "Okay, that really hurt," I said as I got up and rubbed my stinging face. I looked up and saw that I was looking down the barrel of the tank.

"Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa!" I said, holding up my hands. I heard something click inside the tank and dropped to the ground fast as the missile flew over my head.

I got back up quickly and took off down the street with bullets flying in my wake. "Screw this!" I said and vaulted up a nearby building. I hid for a few seconds and watched as helicopters flew over the city, destroying hives and zombies alike.

I decided to head back to Midtown West and check out what Gentek was doing.

I got home within five minutes and immediately turned on my computer. I began to search for anything of value but someone on their end must've found out an unauthorized person, such as myself, had gotten in here and they were purging the system or transferring files to safer networks as fast as they could.

I got to work.

My recovery efforts were futile. I couldn't find anything. "Damn it!" I yelled and nearly threw my computer across the room.


	7. Hacker Ch 7

Ch. 7

All hell breaks loose

I picked it back up and logged on again. I stayed on my laptop till one in the morning but I couldn't find anything useful. I swore up and down as quietly as I could. Whoever purged the network was good. I couldn't find the transferred files. They were locked up in heavy armor. There was no way for me to get around them.

And the purged files? I only found bits and pieces of corrupted documents. Tidbits here and there. McMullen, General Randall, and Captain Cross were names that came up frequently. I glared at Cross's name. Day seven, still nothing.

In frustration, I slammed my laptop closed and threw myself down on the couch. I must've dozed off because I woke with a start from someone closing the door. I jumped off the couch, grabbed a jacket, and walked outside. Mercer was about to take off when he turned around.

"Where are you off too this fine morning?" I asked him.

"Dana heard McMullen was going to be dropped off about half a mile from Central Park. Apparently Blackwatch is quarantining a hive there. I was going to check it out; see if there's any way in luring him in," he explained.

"Mind if I join you?" I asked him. He nodded once and we set off. It took Alex ten minutes to find the hive that Blackwatch had quarantined. We landed on top of an apartment nearby and watched the patrols.

"You'll need a new form," Mercer said to me. I looked at him, not comprehending what he was saying. Then it hit.

"What?!" I said.

"It's only way to get past these guys. Besides the man you had chosen has already been recognized too many times."

"You may be comfortable with killing but I'm not." I placed my hands on my hips.

"Look," Alex said and stood up, "Blackwatch will kill you the moment they get their hands on you. You'll be dissected because apparently you're this new type of virus strain that's supposed to be making my life a living hell. Do you want that?"

I paused for a second. _Want what? To be dissected or make your life hell?_ Then, I shook my head. "Alright then. Find a person and meet me over there." Alex pointed to a spot right behind the hive. I nodded and took off.

I found a guy, quickly knocked him out, and replaced him. "Why can't they ever be women?" I muttered under my breath as I got used to the new skin. God, I really hated this.

I met Alex in the designated area and waited. He didn't take long and tapped me on the shoulder. Gun in hand, I walked with him over to the first viral detector.

"This guy apparently knows how these things tick," he muttered under his breath as we passed by a couple of Blackwatch men. We neared a detector and immediately it began beeping. Alex got behind it and showed me how to trick it into thinking the area was clear.

Its beeping got louder but then disappeared.

"Huh?" We heard a voice over the radio. "Sector A is reading green." The person on the other end was surprised. "It's working," Alex muttered to me.

He nudged me over to one of the other detectors and I walked over as casually as I could. Once I got behind the detector, I quickly set to sabotaging the thing. Its beeping was driving me crazy. I pulled the right wire and it beeped green. There were two more and I saw Alex head over up one building. There must've been one up there too. I hurried over to the last one at the end of the lot.

I assumed the person on the other line was McMullen because he was expressing surprise. "It seems like infection levels are dropping," I overheard him say once Alex disabled the third detector. I took off the panel on the last one and disabled it.

That's when McMullen decided to pay us visit. Alex hopped down the building and radioed in McMullen. Two helicopters appeared on the horizon. "Be ready," Alex whispered to me, "Once I-we- get a hold of him, watch my back. And get ready to run."

"Gotcha," I replied as McMullen's helicopter came closer. Alex tensed as the chopper hovered just over the landing spot. We could literally see McMullen inside.

But he didn't get out of the chopper. He motioned for the pilot to take him out. I turned around and saw what McMullen was looking at. Several zombies had climbed over the fence and were advancing on us.

Suddenly, an alarm pierced the sky, wailing at the top of its lungs. The military advanced on us. "Go!" I yelled and practically dragged Alex out of there. I changed back as soon as I got the chance to, grabbed a discarded gun, and fired point-blank over my shoulder.

I heard Alex cursing loudly over the gunfire. We ran down another alleyway with them right on our heels. We hid behind a couple of trash cans and remained quiet as they passed us. Once they were gone, we got out from our hiding place. "I need to head over to Karen's lab and see if she's found a cure to this thing or not," Alex said to me. I nodded and we walked out of the alleyway and joined the chaotic crowds of bullets, screaming people and, of course, zombies.

We joined those who were running so it wouldn't look strange to see two people running by themselves. We reached his ex's lab about fifteen minutes later. Alex opened the door and ushered me inside; he shut the door behind him. My eyes adjusted to the dim interior and I spotted a blonde woman hunched over a desk, typing on a computer.

"I was beginning to wonder you'd be back," she said and swiveled around in her chair. Her eyes rested on me for a second but flicked up to Alex. "The genetic material you provided me with helped me but I need more. This time you'll need to head into a full blown hive. There I'm guessing that the hive is producing new strands of the virus. If you can get me that material I'm sure I'll be able to make a cure for the infection. And Alex?" She paused for a moment. Alex and I looked at her. "I'm sorry it had to come to this," she said.

"Don't apologize," Alex said, "Just cure this thing." With that said, we left.

There was something in her voice that I didn't like. It was like she was saying goodbye.

We found a hive a few blocks down. It looked like Blackwatch had this one under surveillance as well. There was a hole drilled into the top of the infected building.

"That's our way in," Alex said. There were men posted on and near the hive.

"They obviously don't want us going in," I pointed out.

"Too bad for them because we are."

_Great,_ I thought as we both jumped over to the building and fell through the hole. As soon as we landed, Alex showed me what to look for amongst the orange pus and slime. I grimaced as I dug around picking up bits and pieces of the genetic material Karen asked for.

We dug through the hive for about twenty minutes. I jumped when my hand hit something inside a pus blob that was pointy and very sharp. I drew my hand back quickly and saw blood pouring out from my wrist. It healed within a few seconds when something caught my eye. I saw someone descend from the opening.

"You're a hard man to find, Mercer," a man called down to us. Alex looked up and we both watched the man drop down into the hive to stand amongst us. "Who are you?! What do you want?" Mercer yelled at the man. I froze as I watched the man detached his grappling hook.

He had the same gray-black hair, the scar on his face, and the badass- "don't eff with me" look. It was Cross.

The same man who tried to detain me back at that holding facility where I was turned… into what I was now.

Cross looked up and saw my dumbstruck face. "I see you've brought her with you as well, Mercer," he said.

"Leave her out of it," Mercer growled.

"Gladly," Cross replied giving a dismissed gesture, "I wasn't after her anyway."

I got up and stood a few feet from Alex. "Do you think I'll let you walk out of here with Alex just like that without a fight, you asshole?" I threatened.

"Well, I'm sure the boss won't mind if I take you in as well," Cross replied simply. Alex lunged at Cross who threw him aside. I jumped into the air and threw a chunk of a couch that I found on the ground near me. Cross had to roll out of the way to avoid getting hit.

"I take it your being here means Karen's betrayed me," Alex called out as we took turns attacking Cross. "She was very helpful," Cross said but couldn't say anymore because I had snuck up behind him while his attention was focused on Alex. I swung at him. I had aimed for his head but he moved to the left just slightly causing me to hit him in his waist.

I still punched Cross though and he flew across the room. He got up slowly and pushed the button on his grappling hook. It grabbed the ceiling and he rose up out of harm's way.

"Looks like your friends are here," Cross called from up high and zombies and Blackwatch descended on us. Alex grabbed my arm and we were back to back fending off the infected and bullets. Once the crowd thinned, Cross descended on us again. This time we were the ones who jumped out of his way. He had an overcharged stun stick along with the rockets he had fired at us earlier.

"Oh, fuck!" I yelped as the stick had come extremely close to hitting me. The air sizzled near the stick. There were still a few zombies left. Oddly, they were leaving Cross alone. They were not even batting a rotting eyelash at him. "Grab one!" Alex yelled at me.

"What?!" I yelled as I dodged an infected's poorly thrown punch. I watched Mercer grabbed one of the zombies that was running full throttle at him by the throat and threw it straight at Cross just as he was reloading his rockets. It smacked him right in face. I grimaced a little as he hit the wall.

Following Alex's example, I plucked one of the zombies off the ground and threw it at Cross. He had seen it coming and ducked as the flying chunk of rotting corpse came at him. But it gave Alex the chance to catch Cross off guard.

Alex charged at Cross who had barely enough time to react. Then, I saw the spark of blue and white flicker in and out from under Cross. "Alex! Look out!" I yelled. Mercer turned his head slightly in my direction just as he got shocked. His whole body jolted as the overcharged currents rolled through him. He flew back ten feet and landed on the ground.

Absolutely pissed off, I threw my hands out in front of me and hoped I still had that one power.

Cross started laughing at me when nothing happened for a moment. I glared at him and concentrated on sending him packing. Suddenly, my palms began to quake and red, black, and silver goo sprung out from me and into Cross.

"Take that, you evil son of a bitch!" I spat and hurried over to help up Alex. Cross was stuck in the sickly orange wall and fell out a few seconds later on his face. I snorted and turned my attention back to Mercer. His jacket was frayed from where the baton hit him but other than that he was just stunned.

"That hurt," he muttered.

I laughed a little but my mirth died when I heard sizzling behind me. I turned around to see Cross standing over me, stun stick in hand. "See you in the morning!" he cackled and swung.

I arched my back just as the baton made contact with my jacket. I felt a tiny sting and looked up: tendrils had slithered out from my back and had stopped the baton from hitting me full on. Cross looked just as stunned as I was. "How in the-?" he never got to finish his sentence because with one flick of my wrist I sent him flying back across the room again.

I breathed out a sigh of relief and got up. I tried hauling Alex to his feet.

We both began to walk over to Cross. He scrambled up to his feet and triggered his grappling gun and pulled him up to the surface. Just as he was halfway, Alex jumped up on him. The man looked too weak to fight off his hitchhiker. Alex turned slightly and held out his hand to me which I jumped up to take.

As soon as Cross crawled over the hole, Mercer and I both stepped off him. I backed away from him and his little stun stick. Cross was still on the ground. He coughed once.

"You two have no idea what you've gotten yourselves into," he laughed.

Alex and I eyed him warily. He got up on one knee and heaved himself off the ground. Cross watched me critically, like he was looking for some sort of mistake. "You've surely matured," he finally said. I bristled at his comment.

_Ass_, I thought. "Looks like the injection was a success, be it half-assed," he continued. I sniffed and looked away from him, which was a mistake. As soon as my attention was elsewhere, he jerked forward and I took the baton square in the chest. I couldn't move as the electrical currents washed over me.

It felt like my heart was convulsing. It was going to burst. He drew back and I fell forward, twitching still from left over currents. I watched Cross walk around me, talking casually to Alex. I couldn't hear what he saying. I had gone temporarily deaf. Alex had made a move towards me but Cross threatened him with the baton. All I caught from their exchange were two words: Penn Station.

Alex went down on one knee and held his head as if it was about implode. Then, I watched as Cross' arm drew back, an enormous syringe in hand, and smack into Alex's back. Mercer arched back, the look of pain flitted his face as Cross pulled the syringe out.

He fell on the ground next to me, breathing labored. My hearing slowly returned and I heard Cross say, "Zeus is down and ready for transport. I've also found something you may like: remember the girl you injected with the Light virus? She's out as well."

We had to get out of here while his back was turned. I woozily stood up and pulled Mercer up with me. I slung one of his arms over my neck and slowly and quietly dragged him over to the side of the building. I stepped over the side and we fell down.

Luckily it wasn't that far of a drop. My knees nearly buckled as I landed, coupled with Alex's weight on me. "Come on, buddy. Just hang in there," I muttered to him. We had to get away from here before Cross found us again.

I hauled Alex off till we were about halfway to Dana's. When we were about three blocks away, Alex finally spoke. "Wait," he breathed.

I froze and looked at him. "Just… set me down… over there," he gestured to the shaded side of a building where we'd be free from the prying eyes of the public. I walked him over and carefully set him down. As soon as his back was against the wall, he leaned his head back and his hood fell slightly revealing short brown hair underneath.

I sat on the opposite wall watching him. I waited until he'd speak but then he convulsed for a second. I was up and by his side in a flash. He drew his legs in and clenched his hands. I placed one of my hands over his and he gripped tightly. I winced a little but held onto him until the convulsion passed.

He let out a breath he'd held in slowly and opened his eyes. They flicked to me and I watched him with concern. "You alright?" I asked him softly. "I-I feel better now," he said hoarsely. I gave him a small smile and stood. I gave him a hand and pulled him up.

"Let's head over to Dana's. Maybe she knows someone who can help," I said to him.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: How did I get myself into all this?  
We slowly made our way over to Dana's, avoiding the National Guard and Blackwatch as best we could. It was already late evening by the time we got near MidTown West. I made my way to the alleyway nearby and we got quite a few stares from a few people.  
"He just had a little too much to drink," I said loud enough so that they could hear. Alex groaned which made my little lie more truthful. People stopped looking at us after that. Once I reached the alleyway, I walked a bit farther inside so that the evening's shadows could hide us. I repositioned Alex on my shoulder and sized up the jump. The building was about five stories high so that was a little over a hundred feet. I braced myself for the jump and launched up. I was bout five feet from the edge when I began to loose altitude. I quickly dug my fingers into the side of the building to hold on. I felt Alex's hand dig into my shoulder when I scrambled for purchase in the wall. I scrunched up my legs again for another jump and was up and over the wall in less than a second.  
I sat Alex next to the side of the safe house and looked around. Alex got shakely to his feet and rubbed his right shoulder. My eyebrows furrowed with concerned which he waved off when he looked at me.  
"Don't wave me off like that," I said, irritation leaking into my voice, "I just pulled your ass out of there. I have a right to know how you're feeling."  
"I'm fine," he said. I glared at him.  
"Alright. Fine. I'm not. I feel like shit. I don't know what the fuck he injected into me and I don't know what the hell it's doing to my body. And I want to know if there's someone who can reverse it," he responded exasperated.  
I smiled. "See? Was that so bad?" I asked. Alex grumbled something under his breath that hardly sounded like a compliment. I snorted quietly as we entered the safe room. As usual, Dana was at her computer. She looked up when she saw us.  
"I think I found someone who could help us shed some light on this thing. Like a cure," Dana said.  
"Where?" Alex demanded as he strode over to the computer quickly. Dana looked taken aback and threw me a glance. I shrugged in response. How the hell could I explain her brother's weird behavior if I didn't understand him myself?  
After a couple seconds past before she responded. "His name is Ragland. Last I checked he's working down at St. Paul's Hospital across town."  
"Good. I know where that is," Alex said and turned around to leave.  
"Alex, wait," Dana said, "You've been out all day and you look really drained. You need to sleep."  
"I don't need sleep. What I need are answers." He moved for the door. I stepped in front of him and blocked his way. It was now his turn to glare at me. I meet his gaze without flinching.  
"Stop being all heroic and acting like you don't need help," I muttered under my breath, "You need resting. Sleeping will get your strength back and god knows you need it what with this thing in you."  
"This... thing is exactly why I need to see Ragland now. He could help figure out what it is," Alex replied quietly.  
"Ragland's hospital is probably surrounded right now. We go in the morningthe patrols will be sleepy and we'll have an easier chance at slipping in," I said raising my voice a little so Dana could hear.  
"She's got a point, Alex," his sister said. Alex threw a look at her. Dana shrugged and turned her attention back to her computer. Alex looked back at me.  
"Still ain't moving, my friend," I said and crossed my arms over my chest. If he wanted to get out of here while he was still in a vulnerable position he was going to have to go through me. And it looked like he was contemplating just that. Just then, a flash of pain crossed his face and his knees buckled. I grabbed hold of his shoulders just as he was about to hit the ground. I was grateful that Dana had her back turned to us.  
"Okay, okay. Easy," I murmured as I half dragged Alex over to the couch. He nodded once before closing his eyes. He knocked out a five minutes later. I breathed out.  
What the hell have I gotten myself into?

When morning came, it was early; the sun hadn't even risen yet. This was what? Day eight? God... I was shaken awake by Alex who still looked a little worse for wear.  
"Let's go. I want to get there early," he muttered. I nodded, yawned and stretched. I fell asleep on the floor and woke up with a stiff back. I stood and swung my torso back and forth to crack it. I was rewarded with a resounding crack! that reverberated up my spine. I stretched my arms over my head, happy to feel loose again. We left the safe house in search of Dr. Ragland. We ran over the rooftops. It was a bit dangerous, what with helicopters and hunters milling around but it was easier to travel and we didn't have to keep ducking into every alleyway whenever a military or Blackwatch patrol passed by. We reached St. Paul's Hospital in recording timing. We had to cut our trek over the rooftops short since we didn't want to fly over and land in the middle of a public area. We slid down a fire escape and tried our best to blend in with the morning crowd as we made our way over to the hospital.  
There were hardly any people out this morning. Most had either fled, became zombies, or died. We were lucky in that there were very few marines out around the surrounding area. We were able to slip past security and made it inside. Again, very people milling about. There was an elevator nearby which we entered.  
"Where do you think the good doctor would be?" I asked Alex.  
"Basement probably," he replied hitting the button that would take us to the bottom floor.  
"Of course," I muttered. The elevator then began to drop into the depths of the hospital.  
"God, I hate elevators," I said under my breath.  
"Why?"  
"'Cause bad shit always seems to go down in them..." I stopped for a second, opened my mouth and then closed it. Alex snorted.  
"Unintentional pun," I said before continuing, "Anyway... I just hate them! But they're not as bad vents. Oh god! How I HATE vents!" I shuddered. Alex rolled his eyes.  
"You think vents aren't scary? They are! They make you feel so claustrophobic it's not even funny."  
"Since when I have you been in a vent?"  
"Uh, only in games but still! It's not like I'd go into one. Yeesh, who do you think I am?"  
He shook his head. "I'll take your word for it."  
"Damn right you will!"  
The elevator doors beeped open before we could say anymore. Outside we could hear someone muttering under their breath. It sounded like someone was busy. Alex stepped out with me close behind him. The lighting was shit where we were but it got brighter as we ventured in. It looked like a typical hospital basement-morgue-thing. Grey walls, gray floors, gray ceilings. It also looked as if someone hadn't cleaned it within the last week. Papers were strewn everywhere, labels littered the area, and no one had taken out the trash recently. It had a lovely smell too.  
We entered a small room where a cadaver laid on a gurney with a man bustling around it. He hadn't noticed us yet. Alex and I shared a look before Alex broke the silence.  
"Dr. Ragland?" he asked.  
"I told you people I'm not-" Ragland broke off when he looked up. Recognition lit up in his eyes.  
"What do you want?" he asked guardedly.  
"A cure. You could say I'm... symptomatic," Alex explained while allowing small tentacles of the virus ripple across his body. Ragland looked Alex up and down and noticed me behind him.  
He placed a hand on his chin, contemplating. "We could try gaining genetic material from you," he said nodding in my direction. I looked at him. There was no way in hell I was going to go under the microscope unless I really had to.  
"Buuuut, her virus may make yours unstable. I'd rather not risk it until I know more about it," Ragland continued. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief.  
"So what do we need to do?" I asked.  
"We need to go over to Penn Station and locate Patient Zero. There, with the original virus strain, I'll be able to make a cure. If I can. I just need the genetic material," Ragland replied.  
"But Penn Station is probably heavily fortified by now," Alex pointed out.  
"That's why you're going to commandeer an APC. That'll guarantee us a safe travel over there," Ragland said.  
A tank? Well, shit. At least those things aren't in low supply.


End file.
